8 December 2022

Work to explore the possibility of establishing Welsh-medium education at a new location in mid Powys has been completed, the county council has said.

Powys County Council has investigated the viability of establishing Welsh-medium education in the current Llanfihangel Rhydithon C.P. School building in Dolau near Llandrindod Wells.

A key element of the work was engagement with parents in the area to understand their views about the potential establishment of Welsh-medium education in Dolau, as well as a viability study.

Based on the findings of the work, the advice of officers is that establishing Welsh-medium provision in Dolau is not viable.

The council is committed to improving access to Welsh-medium provision. However, concerns have been raised about whether Dolau is the right strategic location to support the growth of Welsh-medium education due to the very small size of the school.

Parents wishing for their children to access Welsh-medium education in the area are able to attend Ysgol Trefonnen or Rhayader Church in Wales Primary School, and they would be eligible for free home to school transport to their nearest Welsh-medium provider.

The viability study and the questionnaire findings will be reviewed by the Welsh Medium Education Forum (WMEF) on Monday, 12th December and by the council’s Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, December 14 before being considered by Cabinet on Tuesday, 20th December.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Within Scrutiny before the election, I called for an analysis for the viability of using the Dolau site as a new Welsh-medium school for East Radnorshire.

“Following the election, the new Cabinet has delayed the implementation of the proposal to close Llanfihangel Rhydithon C.P School for 12 months to 31 August 2023 to ensure this proposition has been thoroughly considered and an opportunity for developing the language is not lost.

“This work has been completed and I would like to thank all those that responded to the questionnaire.

“Cabinet will now consider the findings of the viability study and the questionnaire responses, the advice from officers and the views of the Welsh Medium Education Forum and the Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee before making its decision.”

8 December 2022

A review of education in a south Powys catchment area has been completed, the county council has said.

Powys County Council carried out an area review of education in the Crickhowell catchment to identify how education would be delivered in the catchment in the future.

To help with the review, the council produced an initial questionnaire so that parents, school staff, headteachers and governors could contribute their ideas.

Based on the findings of the review, the advice of officers is:

• To implement the decision made by the previous Cabinet to close Llanbedr C. in W. School from the 31 August 2023 as circumstances have not altered since the decision of the former Cabinet on 8 March 2022, such that implementation would be “inappropriate altogether”.
• To retain primary provision at Crickhowell C.P School, Llangynidr C.P School and Llangattock C.i.W Primary School and to retain secondary provision at Crickhowell High School.
• To support the Crickhowell catchment to deepen their collaboration as set out in their responses to the engagement exercise.
• To support Crickhowell High School and Crickhowell C.P School to explore the option of appointing a shared headteacher which would provide a basis for further consideration of the all-age model at a later date.
• To undertake further work in the Crickhowell catchment, as outlined in the Welsh Education Strategic Plan, including discussions with Mudiad Meithrin to explore the establishment of Cylch Ti a Fi/Cylch Meithrin initially. This will also include discussions with neighbouring authorities.

The review and questionnaire findings will be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday, December 20 and by the council’s Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, December 14.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Earlier this year, Cabinet agreed to delay the proposed closure of Llanbedr Church in Wales School by 12 months to August 2023 to allow a full area review of the Crickhowell catchment to identify how education will be delivered in the catchment in the future.

“As part of the review, governors and teachers from the catchment attended workshop events to allow them to share their vision for transformation in the catchment and a questionnaire was produced to enable the wider community to engage with the council.

“This review has been completed and I would like to thank all those that responded to the questionnaire and attended the workshop events.

“This work allowed consideration of community-based ideas for how to improve education provision in the catchment in the future alongside those suggested by officers before engaging on preferred ways forward.

“Unfortunately, despite comprehensive review the officer advice is that no new proposals or information came forward during the engagement that suggest that the case for closure is no longer valid, and we are therefore legally-bound to implement the Llanbedr closure in the form that was agreed by the previous administration.

“The papers will now go before Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee and their views along with those of local members will be added to the findings of the review, the questionnaire responses, and the advice from officers for consideration by Cabinet before it makes its decision.”

7 December 2022

Plans to introduce a Welsh-medium stream at a south Powys primary school will be considered by Cabinet next week, the county council has said.

Ysgol y Cribarth in Abercraf is currently an English-medium school providing education for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Powys County Council is proposing to move the school along the language continuum by establishing a Welsh-medium stream at the school.

If it goes ahead, the proposed change would see a Welsh-medium stream introduced at Ysgol y Cribarth from September 2023, operating alongside the school’s English-medium stream.

On Tuesday, December 13, Cabinet will be asked to start formal consultation on the proposal.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Since September 2021, Ysgol y Cribarth has operated a Welsh-medium Foundation Phase class on a pilot basis as part of a scheme that has been supported by the council.

“The class has continued to operate in the current academic year and there are currently 20 pupils in the Welsh-medium class.

“To provide continuity of provision for pupils attending the pilot provision and to provide clarity for the school going forward, the council is exploring options for the school’s future language category with the aim of ensuring that Welsh-medium provision can continue to be offered at the school.

“This would ensure that all pupils in the area would have the opportunity to choose this provision, which would give them the opportunity to become fluent in Welsh and English and therefore contributing to the Welsh Government’s aspiration to achieve a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

“It would also support the council’s aims and aspirations as outlined in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) for 2022-32 and the Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys.

“I will be recommending to Cabinet that we start formal consultation on the proposal to move Ysgol y Cribarth along the language continuum by establishing a Welsh-medium stream at the school.”

To find out more about Welsh-medium education in Powys, visit Destination bilingual

7 December 2022

Exciting plans to create a new primary school in south Powys could be delayed by 12 months if a recommendation is accepted by Cabinet, the county council has said.

Earlier this year, a proposal to merge Mount Streets Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School to create a new primary school was approved as part of Transforming Education plans for the Brecon catchment area.

The target date for establishing the new primary school, which would operate on the three existing school sites, was September 2023.

However, since the proposal was approved, a request was submitted to the courts for a judicial review of the council’s decision to merge the three schools.  Although this was submitted to the courts in April, the request has not yet been considered.

As the legal process is still ongoing, Cabinet will be asked to delay implementation of the proposal by 12 months to September 2024.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Until this legal process has been concluded, it will not be possible for the council to proceed with some of the essential aspects which need to be carried out to implement the proposal.

“This means that there will not be enough time to complete all of the activities needed to enable the new school to open next September.

“Due to this ongoing legal process, I am recommending to Cabinet that this proposal is delayed by 12 months to September 2024.  This would enable the necessary arrangements to be made to implement the decision once the legal processes have been concluded.

“If Cabinet approve this recommendation, Mount Street Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School would continue to operate as separate schools for a further 12 months, and the new school would open on the three existing sites in September 2024.

“I appreciate that this will cause further uncertainly for the three school communities but I hope that they understand that the need to delay the implementation of the proposal is beyond the council’s control.”

Cabinet will consider the recommendation on Tuesday, December 13.

01 December 2022

Adults in Powys who are Deaf or have hearing loss can now contact the council for information and advice for adult care and support by texting the ASSIST team on 07883 307 622.

The team will reply with information on such as assessments, assistive technology, and signpost to voluntary groups and clinics.

Cllr Sian Cox, Cabinet Member for a Caring Powys said: “It’s so important that all of our fellow citizens are able to communicate with us, ask about services, tell us what their needs are, and be heard. ASSIST is the way for older citizens, people with disabilities and unpaid carers to ask for information, guidance, and help with care and support, for themselves or others, so it has to be accessible to all. I’m very pleased that people who are deaf or experiencing hearing loss can now contact us via a text service.”

For any other information and advice for adult care and support, such as older people services, learning or physical disability, wellbeing, and safeguarding, contact ASSIST:

0345 602 7050 (8.30-4.45 Monday – Thursday and 8.30 – 4.15 Friday)

Emergency Duty Team 0845 0544 847 (out of hours service)

[email protected]

This text service is for people who are Deaf or experiencing hearing loss who require information and advice for adult care and support.

1 December 2022

Work to begin the second phase of an active travel route in Treowen, Newtown, will begin Monday 5 December.

Identified following previous consultations on the county’s Active Travel Network Maps, the route will improve walking and cycling facilities on Heol Treowen, from Treowen Primary School down towards Kerry Road.

The pavement will be widened to become a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians. This will also improve the surface of the existing path and increase safety for all users, particularly for families and pupils going to and from school.

Funded by Welsh Government, this is the second phase of a larger scheme that aims to link up to other active travel routes in the town.

“The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 aims to make Wales a walking and cycling nation.” explains Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.

“Essentially, this means that we are endeavouring to make it possible for us to all make short journeys such as our commute to work, school or local shops, by physically active means, like walking or cycling.

“Following consultation and the development of the county’s Active Travel Network Maps, it is really exciting to be able to see another active travel scheme in Newtown come to fruition.”

30 November 2022

An education setting in Brecon has expanded its provision to support learners aged 6-11 overcome barriers to learning, the county council has confirmed.

The New Start Centre, Powys County Council’s Pupil Referral Unit in Brecon, has been providing alternative education provision to secondary school-aged learners since 2014. It supports the individual needs of all learners by offering rich learning experiences and nurturing support so that pupils flourish and grow in all aspects of their development.

The centre has now added Key Stage 2 provision for learned aged 6-11 which will enable the council to provide earlier interventions specifically tailored to the emerging needs of learners.

With a dedicated and highly experienced Key Stage 2 team in place, the centre can quickly apply direct and appropriate educational interventions to allow learners to overcome barriers to learning.

Key Stage 2 learners will be able to attend the centre full-time for a 12-week block and, when completed, enter a transition period. After the transition period, learners will then return to their mainstream education setting with the right support in place that will allow them to recover from past experiences and thrive.

Another addition is a dedicated training room that will allow staff at the centre to provide dedicated and bespoke training to mainstream education settings and service providers to upskill and share the latest tools and strategies for managing, addressing, supporting and modifying challenges that learners today not only display themselves but also experience.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Our Pupil Referral Units promote a bespoke educational provision that supports the individual needs of their learners by offering rich learning experiences and nurturing support so that they can flourish and grow in all aspects of their development.

“I’m delighted that the New Start Centre has expanded its provision to include Key Stage 2 learners. This is an exciting time for the centre and for Powys as it is now one of the very few pupil referral units in Wales that can now cater for learners from 6-16 all on one site.

“The centre will ensure that all learners are well-equipped with the abilities and confidence to move to the next phase of their life and become active members of their community.”

29 November 2022

Schools in Powys will not move to a four-day week to reduce running costs, the county council has confirmed.

To help support schools with the pressures they face due to increasing energy and inflationary costs, Powys County Council has produced a financial management toolkit which included ideas on how to reduce costs around the school.

One of the potential options put forward in extreme cases was a four-day school week with the fifth day moving to online learning.

However, this option has now been removed by the council.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “The result of the national cost of living crisis and ever-increasing costs is having an impact on every household, business, school, and public body across the UK.

“We now expect to see the full impact of energy price increases over the next financial year. It is essential that schools are aware of the potential severity of the situation they face in preparing their budgets.

“That is why the council prepared a financial management toolkit for schools containing detailed budgetary comparison data and ideas on how to reduce costs around the school.  A four-day school week was the most extreme of these options.

“However, the council has removed this option from the toolkit following advice from the Welsh Government, who were not supportive of schools moving to a four-day week at this time.

“This decision doesn’t mean the financial challenge has fundamentally improved just that there is one fewer option on the table.  We will continue to support our schools and look at options to reduce their running costs which do not impact on our learners.”

28 November 2022

A rogue trader who defrauded a retired Powys resident into paying £60,000 for construction work that was substandard and incomplete has been given a two-year prison sentence.

Leslie James Smith of Pershore, Worcestershire was prosecuted by Powys County Council’s Trading Standards Service after carrying out work at a property in Felindre.

Smith, who pleaded guilty to two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and Fraud Act 2006 at an earlier hearing at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court, was sentenced to two years in jail and ordered to pay a £156 victim surcharge by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.

An investigation by Trading Standards officers found that between April 8 and July 8 last year, Smith had been excessively paid for construction work and then failed to complete the work to a competent standard.

The investigation also found that Smith had committed fraud by way of making a false representation, namely his identity.  Trading Standards officers also found that Smith had lied about purchasing supplies when he had not, and also claimed the cost of supplies had risen and that he required additional payment when those supplies had purportedly already been purchased.

Smith also asked for additional payment from his victim to subsidise work for other customers with the intention of making a financial gain for himself, the investigation found.

Cllr Richard Church, Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, said: “The conclusion of this case sends out a clear message that trading practices like this will not be tolerated.

“This case should serve as a reminder to our residents to be vigilant of these crimes and scams to avoid becoming a victim of a rogue trader. I would urge residents to do their research on a business before entering into an agreement and to be cautious when paying money upfront.

“For work carried out at a resident’s home that is more than £42 in value, traders are required by law to provide cancellation rights. This gives 14 days for contracts to be cancelled.

“Under the regulations, traders are required to exercise professional diligence in the work they carry out. If the council receives reports of particularly bad workmanship or work not as described, then this could lead to an investigation by our Trading Standards team.”

28 November 2022

Poultry owners in Powys are being urged by the county council to prepare for new biosecurity and housing measures that will come into force later this week.

The biosecurity and housing requirements for poultry and captive birds in Wales, which come into force on Friday, 2 December, are being taken to get ahead of a possible increased level of avian influenza virus in the environment and build extra resilience to the important measures introduced in October through the Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone.

From Friday, 2 December, it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors or otherwise separated from wild birds.

Keepers must also complete and act upon a bespoke biosecurity review of the premises where birds are kept. This is to minimise the risk of virus entry in bird houses, which usually results in high mortality.

These new measures are in addition to those in the Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone, which remain crucially important.

Now Powys County Council’s Animal Health Team is encouraging bird keepers to prepare for the introduction of the new measures, by making sure housing is suitable, with the housed environment enhanced to protect bird welfare. Keepers should consult their vet for advice where needed.

Cllr Richard Church, Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, said: “There has been an unprecedented incursion of avian influenza into Great Britain and Europe in 2022.

“Housing is effective in protecting birds against avian influenza only if accompanied by rigorous biosecurity to keep the virus out of bird houses. This is best done by completing the biosecurity checklist, which will be compulsory for all keepers.

“Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.

“I want to thank all keepers in the county for the steps they have taken to keep birds in Wales safe from this devastating disease, steps which we know have protected birds. The additional measures announced will build on that effort. If implemented rigorously, our birds will be protected.”

To view the Mandatory biosecurity self-assessment checklist visit https://gov.wales/mandatory-biosecurity-self-assessment-checklist

For the latest updates on Avian influenza (bird flu) visit https://gov.wales/avian-influenza-bird-flu-latest-update