Consultation over Llangennech Welsh school plan

Llangennech Infant School

A consultation will be held on plans to remove an English language stream at a Carmarthenshire primary school.

Some parents at Llangennech school had objected to the county council's policy of extending Welsh medium provision.

The decision was made at a meeting of the council's executive board on Tuesday afternoon.

The plans will have to come back before the full council before a final decision can be made.

The council wants to extend Welsh medium provision in schools, partly in response to census figures which show a fall in Welsh speakers in the county.

'Social engineering'

It said replacing Llangennech Infant and Llangennech Junior schools with a new Welsh-medium community primary would ensure "bilingualism is increased" in the area.

Carmarthenshire's executive board member for education, Gareth Jones, faced a series of critical questions from parents at the meeting, some of whom accused the council of "social engineering" and "enforcing the Welsh language".

Cllr Jones said the changes were being motivated by "the best interests of children's education".

A petition previously submitted to the council said the move would have a "massive impact" on children in the community who seek an English-medium education.

The council has also been threatened with a judicial review if it presses ahead with the plans.