🚨 Heads up, everyone! 🚨 Four primary schools in Carmarthenshire are at risk of closing! The local council is considering shutting Ysgol Llansteffan, Ysgol Y Fro, Ysgol Meidrim, and Ysgol Pontiets due to consistently low student numbers and financial strains. 🏫
With fewer than 10 pupils, Ysgol Llansteffan might close as early as August 2026, while the other three schools face potential closure by the end of December 2026. A council meeting on October 14 will discuss publishing a statutory notice for Llansteffan and initiating consultations for the rest.
The schools are grappling with falling enrolments, high costs, and surplus places, prompting measures to streamline the education system in the county. 📝
Cabinet member for education, Cllr Glynog Davies, described the steps as necessary to sustain educational provision countywide. Cllr Tyssul Evans highlighted funding cutbacks and the dire need for financial balance, acknowledging it’s a tough but crucial decision. 💷
Ysgol Llansteffan is currently educating its eight pupils at more than triple the national average cost per student, making it unsustainable. Despite only 30 pupils in 2021, numbers are projected to drop further. Alternative options outside closure were considered but found less feasible.
Parents! Even if these closures go ahead, don’t worry – you won’t be forced to send your children to the council’s preferred alternative schools. 😊
The final verdict on these closures is still some way off, with several steps to go. Stay tuned and keep yourselves informed! 📚