Primary school with two pupils to close at end of summer term

A primary school with just two pupils is to close at the end of the summer term.

Ysgol Y Garreg in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, currently has no pupils in nursery, reception or years one to five.

Its remaining two Year six pupils are due to start secondary school in September.

Cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet voted unanimously to close the school on 31 August, saying it could not ignore the "seriousness of the situation".

The council said falling pupil numbers across the local authority had made the decision unavoidable, despite the school's long history at the heart of the community.

Dewi Jones, cabinet member for education, said the proposal was one of the most difficult decisions he had faced.

"Nobody goes into education in order to close schools," he said.

"Our ambition is to see schools thriving, children succeeding and communities staying strong."

He paid tribute to the staff, governors, parents and community, saying Ysgol Y Garreg had served the area faithfully for over a century.

But he said the council had a responsibility to consider the current situation facing the school.

"The demographic challenges facing some of our rural communities are real," he said.

"However painful it is to acknowledge that, we cannot ignore the facts before us, and in the specific position of Ysgol Y Garreg, it is impossible to ignore the seriousness of the situation."

Jones added educational decisions must place children's welfare at the centre of the process, ensuring access to sustainable education and a learning environment capable of meeting pupils' needs.

He added: "This is not a decision the cabinet wants to make, but it's a decision that certain circumstances have led us to."

The councillor said Gwynedd had experienced a significant reduction in the number of children over the past decade and that the authority had a duty to make responsible long-term decisions.

Supporting the recommendation, councillor June Jones described the situation as sad, adding the school had been "a key part of the community for over a century".

Councillor Dilwyn Morgan raised concerns about the Welsh language but said there might be more opportunities for the children moving to a larger school, where the Welsh language would be "a more natural part of their lives".

Dewi Jones said in 2016 Cyngor Gwynedd had around 9,000 children in its primary schools and that had dropped to "just over 7,800".

"That's a substantial reduction, and in light of that, we can't just continue as we are. It forces us to have to change things."

Ysgol Cefn Coch will now become the designated alternative school for the catchment area from 1 September.