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A rural community is battling to save its English-speaking primary school from the axe.

Locals protested outside Ysgol Pontfadog in the Ceiriog Valley in Wrexham today as they fight again to save it from closure.

They fear local authority chiefs may shut the English medium school, which has 18 pupils, in favour of Welsh-language schools.

Wrexham council has launched a consultation over the future of the Ceiriog Valley Federation of schools to which Pontfadog belongs, with one of the options being to close it.

Jools Payne, a community councillor and protester, said: “We are fighting once again to keep this school open.

“It’s a small school but provides a fantastic standard of education.”

The other primary schools teaching children aged between three and 11 in the Ceiriog Valley Federation, which has one governing body, are Ysgol Cynddelw in Glyn Ceiriog, which is dual language with 98 pupils, and Llanarmon DC in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, which is Welsh medium with 24 pupils.

(Image: Steve Bagnall)

Council chiefs say there is growing demand for Welsh education places in Wrexham and there is a push by the Welsh Government to get one million people to speak the language by 2050.

The consultation document said changes were being proposed as “there has been a growing demand for Welsh medium provision at Ysgol Cynddelw and we are experiencing very low numbers wishing to access English medium at that site”.

The document adds: “If the status quo is maintained, there is a risk that the low numbers of pupils accessing English medium year on year will adversely impact their social and educational experience, as resources would not be applied and used efficiently within teaching and learning.”

The proposals are to keep all three schools open, divert English speakers at Ysgol Cynddelw to Pontfadog, or close Pontfadog and send English speakers to Cynddelw.

Cllr Payne added: “The council have said there is a greater demand for Welsh speaking places here, but the figures do not add up and there is also this push to get one million people to speak Welsh.

“The whole consultation document is leaky and does not stand up to robust scrutiny.”

Phil Wynne, Wrexham council’s lead member for education, said: “We would encourage anyone with any views on the proposals for the Ceiriog Valley Federation to take part in the ongoing consultation, which ends on February 21.

“Consultees may respond by e-mail or online, and paper copies of the consultation documents are also available at each of the three schools.”