School on the brink as council recommends closure
A 400-YEAR-OLD primary school is facing the axe as part of a major education shake-up.
On Monday, Anglesey Council’s Corporate Scrutiny Committee recommended that Ysgol Beaumaris should close its doors, leaving the town without a primary school for the first time since the 17th Century.
The school’s land has also already been earmarked for a care home, but the final decision will be made by the authority’s Executive.
As part of the proposals to tranform education in Seiriol, pupils will be sent to either Ysgol Llangoed or Ysgol Llandegfan instead, which could be federated.
The report said: “The council has consulted with parents, governors and staff from the three schools in the Seiriol area, local councillors, Welsh Government and other stakeholders.
“Taking into consideration the appraisal of the options, it is proposed that the preferred option should be based on closing Ysgol Beaumaris and give parents the choice to send their children to the other two schools Ysgol Llangoed and Ysgol Llandegfan.
“It is also recognised that it will be necessary to review the catchment areas and possibly the federalisation of Ysgol Llangoed and Llandegfan in the future.”
The maintenance costs of bringing the 66-yearold building up to scratch, would be £971,000l, say Anglesey Council.
According to the authority, the move is needed to “meet the need for school places where the need is greatest, improve education standards and attainment and provide modern resources in relation to schools and teaching resources”.
In a second report, the council said either part of the land occupied by Ysgol Beaumaris, or as the “prime use of the land”, would be used for an extra care housing facility of 39 flats.
Town councillor Stan Zalot previously said the closure would be the “final nail in the coffin of Beaumaris” if it were to go ahead.