A  Conwy secondary school has become the second school in the county to get a financial bailout.

A special joint meeting of the council’s finance and education committee considered the request from Penrhyn Bay’s Ysgol y Creuddyn.

Abergele’s Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan had been due to present their application for special funding but it is understood their report was not ready in time for today’s meeting.

The latest plea for cash from schools follows a similar move by Ysgol Aberconwy last year which needed a loan of £250,000 to keep its doors open.

Conwy Council finance rules do not allow schools to set an unbalanced budget but councillors can agree to support schools under exceptional circumstances if a robust recovery plan is put in place.

Ysgol y Creuddyn said a drop in pupil numbers had left the school  with a shortfall of £290,000 with councillors today approving a loan of £156,842.

This will support the provision of a five form Year 7.

A report to councillors ahead of the meeting said: “This situation is created by five smaller year groups working through the school, along with a 3.6% cut in the school’s allocation. In bringing this business case forward we are mindful of our duty to ensure that public funding is used appropriately. We are cognisant that the school’s numbers are projected to increase next year due to a new Year 7 intake of 130 pupils The numbers projected to join the schools’ Welsh Immersion Programme next year are projected to increase by 153.8%.”

It added: “It is clear to the governing body that cutting staffing numbers to meet this year’s budget deficit will incur costs at a local authority level to cover redundancies which are likely to be reversed in future years.”

The school has, since 2015-2016,  had a reduction in allocated by approximately £446,000.

And since 2015-2016 the number of pupils at the school has dropped from 528 to an expected 436 in 2019-2020.

Trefor Jones, headteacher at Ysgol y Creuddyn, said: “We’re looking at £160,000 further savings. We don’t hold any significant reserves and this business case provides the only realistic way that we are going to be able to create five form groups for Year 7 in the next academic year.

“There is no realistic alternative.”

As the school follows the Welsh Government  policy of mandating the Welsh Baccalaureate, it has also had a cut in funding of £500 per student.

Cllr Dave Cowans questioned this saying that it seemed unfair that schools were being penalised for upholding government policy.

“I wonder if we have made representations to the Welsh Government as it seems patently unfair,” he said.

Cllr Garffild Lewis the lead member for education agreed and said he would raise it with the relevant authorities.

The £156,842 will be given to the school as a loan with an interest of 3.5% but chief finance officer, Andrew Kirkham, felt this was a high rate and said he would investigate a lower charge.

Members of the joint committees asked for the school to come back next year with another business case to assess its needs.