Battle to save Talwrn school
PARENTS and concerned locals have taken their message to the local authority, urging them not to close their village school.
On Friday, a petition of over 500 signatures was presented to Anglesey Council’s leader, amid an ongoing public consultation to plans to shut Ysgol Talwrn.
The school, which currently has 49 pupils and is running at over 90% capacity, could be closed with its pupils transferred to an enlarged Ysgol y Graig, just over a mile away in Llangefni.
But according to many parents, Ysgol y Graig is already too big, with question marks if the school should be enlarged further.
Y Graig, which was only built in 2009, has reached its capacity of 330, with a recent council report noting that it would need to be expanded to hold 435 pupils if taking into consideration the intake from Talwrn as well as more local housing in Llangefni.
The authority, which is looking at reorganising schools in the Llangefni area, is also considering plans to shut Ysgol Gymuned Bodffordd and Ysgol Corn Hir in Lla- ngefni, replacing them with a new superschool.
There are also proposals to expand Ysgol Esceifiog in Gaerwen, and refurbish Ysgol Henblas in Llangristiolus while sharing a head teacher with another school.
According to Heulwen Roberts, a mother of two, her concerns over Ysgol Talwrn’s possible closure were twofold.
“First of all, we don’t want to see Talwrn lose its school,which is the heart and soul of the village in many ways,” she said.
“If we lose the school, what do we have left? It helps maintain the annual Eisteddfod and much of the vibrancy here.
“We also have concerns over Ysgol y Graig, which is already facing capacity issues. Is the answer really to close a village school to increase the demand on it even further?”
In response, an Isle of Anglesey County Council spokesperson said: “Officers from our Learning Service have held meetings with Ysgol Talwrn and Ysgol y Graig as part of a formal consultation process on the future provision of primary education in the Llangefni area.
“The views of all stakeholders, including parents, will be included as part of a feedback report which will go before the Executive in due course.”