HOME to school transport policy needs to be reviewed before a secondary school in Llanfair Caereinion changes from dual stream to Welsh medium, a council education chief has said.
At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday, May 28 councillors agreed a proposal that Llanfair Caereinion’s all through primary and secondary school Ysgol Bro Caereinion becomes a Welsh medium school.
As part of changes to the original proposal, the council had agreed to allow current English stream pupils in years four and below at both Ysgol Bro Caereinon and Ysgol Rhiw Bechan (Tregynon) to receive home to school transport to their nearest English medium school.
Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Bryn Davies who represents parts of the Bro Caereinion catchment area brought up the school transport issue.
ALSO READ:
- Firefighter called out to fire in stolen car - which turned out to be his own
- Urdd apologises after hundreds of people stuck in Eisteddfod car park for hours
- Powys man said he would stab victim in the throat over high-profile court case
Cllr Davies said: “The policy needs to recognise and reflect the major difference between Welsh medium and dual stream schools.
“In the meantime, and until that policy is changed, we see the education portfolio holder is using discretionary powers to allow children to travel to English medium schools for about four years.
“I understand why, but in the same way it’s important that the discretionary powers are used to allow the necessary transport to be laid on for those who want to be educated in Welsh at Bro Caereinion, so that is a success.”
He added that children from all across Montgomeryshire should be given the opportunity of attending Bro Caereinion, but that the present policy does not allow that.
Get in touch
Share your views on this story by sending a letter to the editor. To get in touch email news@countytimes.co.uk, or fill in the form on this section of our website.
Conservative group leader Cllr Aled Davies added: “All children across Powys should have equal access to a Welsh medium education.”
He said it was “good” to see the concession, but it will “unravel in time” as the pupils grow older and move up through the school.
Cllr Davies added that his group had been pushing for a more flexible transport policy to enable parents to choose the school they want to send their children to.
“That choice should not only be for parents who have the resources to transport the children themselves,” said Cllr Davies.
Schools transformation manager Marianne Evans said that these issues had been mentioned in sections of the report.
Mr Evans said: “If this policy is to be revised it would need to go out to a different consultation for home to school transport.
“Families will need to make an application for home to school transport and see what these decisions are under the policy.”
In the report, the council is advised to review its home to school transport policy to ensure pupils wishing to access Welsh-medium schools can do so.
Ms Evans said: “We need to review the policy and it’s something that needs to be done before we move in 2026.”
This is when the Bro Caereinion’s secondary school starts becoming a Welsh medium in 2026.
Education portfolio holder Liberal Democrat Cllr Peter Roberts stressed that the process of changing Bro Caereinion’s language “was not the place” to discuss school transport policy.
Cllr Roberts said: “A substantive change to schools transport involves a formal statutory process, which is why temporary measures have been put in place.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here