Village school could be closed before the end of the year

Conwy councillors have agreed to begin the statutory process that would lead to the closure of Ysgol Llannefydd, near Denbigh, which has been unused since last summer.

A report was considered by Conwy's cabinet last week about starting the statutory process for the possible closure of Ysgol Llannefydd.

According to the report: "Currently, Ysgol Llannefydd has 100% unfilled places in the school (based on Jan 2022 figures). There are no full time (FTE) children attending the school."

The report's recommendations were that cabinet gives authorisation for education services and legal services officers to start the formal process of closing the school by December 31 by issuing a notice of closure.

The report noted this may need to be amended to March 31, 2023 subject to required staff notice periods.

Conwy's cabinet supported the recommendation to start the statutory process.

In June, 2021, when there were 10 pupils, parents launched a campaign to save it from closure by trying to attract children from neighbouring towns and villages such as St Asaph and Bodelwyddan.

They acknowledged that the future of the school was "precarious" but said one of the big factors in its favour was that its size meant that it was almost like a private school.

The recruitment bid proved unsuccessful and, fearing the worst, parents moved the few remaining children to other schools last September.

Ysgol Llannefydd was built in 1954 and extended in 2001.

It has a capacity of 78 but the number of pupils has declined over the past six years.

In 2016-17 there were 43 children on the roll but within four years the number fell to 11.

With no formal closure decision having been made a headteacher and administrator have remained in place, along with a caretaker.

A report to Conwy County Borough Council’s cabinet stated that the annual running costs in 2021-22 amounted to £204,450.

That equated to £13,630 per pupil, compared to the county average of £4,159.

One of those factors is the impact on the community, but as Llannefydd has a good community centre no local groups use the school.

If the closure goes ahead children will have the choice of attending Welsh-medium schools in Llansannan or Betws-yn-Rhos, or the bilingual school in Llanfairtalhairn.

All are less than six miles away.

The nearest school, in Henllan, is in neighbouring Denbighshire.

The report stated: “The expected benefit of this proposal to close Ysgol Llannefydd is that in the long-term Welsh-medium education and wellbeing for pupils in the area will be secured; whereby children will continue to receive a high standard of education in suitable environments pertaining to age and ability elsewhere and nearby in the local community.”

The formal notice will be published soon and the closure is expected to take place at the end of the year.

Cllr Julie Fallon, the lead member for education, said the closure of rural schools was always a contentious issue, but praised the staff, parents, governors and local community in Llannefydd for their co-operation.

Gari Evans at Ysgol Llannefydd. Picture: Mandy Jones

Last year, we reported on Ysgol Llannefydd looking to increase the amount of pupils it had.

At that time, headteacher Gari Evans said: “The first-class standard of the teaching and the varied experiences given to the children leads to high educational attainment levels.

“Everyone co-operates fantastically well, and we don’t have any behavioural problems.

“One of the advantages of the education provided by a small village school like Ysgol Llannefydd is that it’s almost like a private education. The staff-pupil ratio is fantastic but clearly there are no fees."

Glesni Owen, governor, added: “Both the governors and Conwy Local Education Authority are keen for the school to stay open and remain viable for future generations of learners.

“However, if we see any further reduction in the current numbers, the school will be in an extremely precarious position."