CYMDEITHAS yr Iaith have welcomed a proposal that will be presented before a meeting of Ceredigion Council’s Cabinet meeting next Tuesday (3 December) to reverse the decision to hold a statutory consultation on the closure of four of the county’s rural Welsh-language schools.
The four schools under threat are Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa, Ysgol Llangwyryfon, Ysgol Syr John Rhys, and Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn.
Were the proposal to pass, the consultation would be treated as an “informal consultation period in order to gather more information”.
The proposal paper states that “on 19 November 2024, the Authority received a formal challenge to the decision made on 3/9/2024 to undertake a statutory consultation with a proposed closure date of 31/8/25 which is deemed not feasible and therefore needs to re-consider [sic] the decision made on that date.”
It is not clear what challenge on 19 November has led the council to reconsider the situation exactly.
In response, Ffred Ffransis, from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Education Group, said: “Cymdeithas yr Iaith welcomes the proposal that will be put to the Ceredigion Council’s Cabinet meeting next Tuesday to start listening to the communities before making decisions on their future on their behalf.
“This is exactly what was needed from the start, which is to seek the opinions of the schools and communities first, hold an open discussion and then seek the way forward.
“We are grateful to the governors and parents of the four schools for their stance for the future of their children and their communities. They are an inspiration to communities across Wales and are a great example for the children”
