A POLITICIAN has claimed the creation of a county's first Welsh medium school could "disadvantage" some pupils.

Powys Council's Independent/Conservative cabinet voted this week to approve the move to Welsh medium education at Machynlleth's Ysgol Bro Hyddgen.

The 'all through school - which teaches pupils aged from four to 18-year-old A Level pupils - will become the county's first Welsh medium school and is situated in one of mid Wales' Welsh language heartlands, bordering Gwynedd. 

From September 2022, the reception class at the school will be taught in Welsh, with the aim of all teaching being through the language.

Ysgol Bro Hyddgen will be the first school in Powys to operate as a Welsh medium at secondary level, with Welsh medium primaries already operating in other parts of the large county.

But Conservative MS Russell George has raised concerns over the plans for Machynlleth.

"It is fantastic to see that many want to learn through the medium of Welsh, but removing the choice from those who wish to or need to learn through the medium of English will continue to be a huge concern for many," he said.

"I had urged Powys County Council to reconsider their proposal and to listen to the community and their representatives on this matter."

The Montgomeryshire member has highlighted local opposition to the move but when the cabinet approved the plan, earlier this week, it was told only three pupils have started in the school's English stream this term. 

Figures from 2020 show that out of a total of 477 pupils at Bro Hyddgen, 332 are educated in Welsh and 145 in English. More than 1,200 people signed a petition against the change, which was also opposed by the town council.

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The Conservative MS said: "I had been contacted by many people from Machynlleth who objected to these proposals.

"People felt very strongly that there should be a choice on offer for children, so all pupils in the Machynlleth area have a reasonable opportunity to learn either through the medium of English or through the medium of Welsh. I am very concerned, as are many of my constituents, that this decision will have a huge impact on the local community.

"I think this decision will sadly disadvantage some pupils and will lead to young people having to travel to attend schools miles away from their homes and potentially out of county, which may remove their opportunity to learn in a bilingual environment.”

He added that the council should ensure that pupils in Machynlleth should be supported in reaching English-language education.

“Now that Powys County Council have made this decision, at the very least they need to ensure fairness when applying their Home to School Transport policy," he added.

"There will be pupils who for various reasons either need or choose to be educated in the medium of English. Powys Council must ensure that these children’s needs are met and that pupil need/choice is not hindered by whether school transport can be afforded by parents.

"Whilst the transition to Welsh Medium Education at Machynlleth may very well be phased, it would be understandable to see some pupils from the Machynlleth area want to be educated in a school where English medium is not being phased out and Powys Council should also consider this when deciding whether to grant free transport to such pupils.”

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