14 December 2022

A team of senior education officers will work with a Powys secondary school following a disappointing Estyn inspection, the county council has confirmed.

Officers from Powys County Council, including school improvement officers, will support Brecon High School after it was placed in ‘special measures’ by Estyn following a recent inspection.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Today I share the disappointment that everyone associated with the school is experiencing.

“The school’s senior leadership team know the steps that need to be taken to secure the necessary improvements and they have already started work to make that happen.

“The Estyn recommendations are clear on what the school needs to focus on and the council is already working closely with the school to identify the additional support package required in order to address the issues highlighted in this visit.”

The report and recommendations, which have been accepted by the school’s governing body and senior leadership team, will form the basis of a detailed action plan to address key areas requiring improvement.

Officers will work with the school and its governing body to identify reasons for the inspection outcome and work together to deliver significant and rapid improvement. Staff, pupils and parents will be fully supported during the improvement journey.

Rhiannon Evans, Chair of Governors at Brecon High School, said: “As Governors we are obviously very disappointed that Brecon High School has been moved into special measures.

“We appreciate there is still work to do to improve standards within the school, but there were many positives within the report which show we are moving in the right direction.

“We have full confidence in our staff and their ability to continue the positive progress the school has been making since the end of Covid restrictions.

“We would like to reassure parents we are wholly committed to improving standards and ensuring pupils have the best education possible whilst at Brecon High School.”

To view the inspection report visit www.estyn.gov.wales

13 December 2022

Powys residents who have signed up to three community broadband schemes – Llanfan Fawr and Llanwrthwl, Aberedw and Glascwm, and Dwyriw and Manafon – are to get their ultrafast fibre connections in the new year.

The new network in Llanafan Fawr and Llanwrthwl will reach 353 properties, with 170 of these already registered to receive the improved service, following an investment of more than £250,000.

In Aberedw and Glascwm the plan is to reach 240 properties, with 134 of these already registered, following an investment of more than £200,000.

And in Dwyriw and Manafon the new network will reach 461 properties, with 173 already registered, following an investment of more than £200,000.

All three schemes have been funded by the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and the Welsh Government’s top-up (now closed) and are being delivered by supplier Broadway Partners.

Broadway Partners will also be delivering a further 18 community projects in Powys, which could see a further 8,000 properties in rural areas given access to ultrafast fibre broadband. This includes schemes at Rhayader and Nantmel, and Painscastle, which are next in line.

Powys County Council (PCC) is supporting the schemes as part of its Digital Powys project, which aims to help businesses and communities to stay connected.

“Once completed, these community broadband schemes, which are drawing in an investment of more than £650,000, will deliver much better connectivity for residents and businesses in some of the most rural parts of our county,” said Cllr Jake Berriman, the council’s Cabinet Member for a Connected Powys. “They are also helping us to achieve our aim of creating a stronger, fairer, and greener Powys.

“Improving digital access in some of our most sparsely populated communities will put them on a more even footing with those living in urban areas and give them access to a greater range of services that can help with wellbeing, learning and remote working.”

All the community broadband schemes being supported by PCC are listed here: Community Broadband Schemes 

If you want help to set up your own community broadband scheme in Powys, or to join an existing one, contact PCC’s community broadband officer, within the council’s Regeneration Team, at: [email protected]

Further information on improving your broadband connection, including grants and support, can also be found here: Broadband – enabling a Digital Powys

There are also Facebook pages for the three community broadband schemes:

PICTURE: Members of the Llanafan Fawr and Llanwrthwl Community Broadband Scheme project group (from left), Steve Ellis, Andrew Powell and David Price, with Reece Simmons (thumbs up), Broadway Partners’ Community Liaison Manager, at the installation of the new mini exchange (green cabinet) in Newbridge-on-Wye, which will act as a hub for the new fibre network.

12 December 2022

All Powys leisure centres could have an extended break over the Christmas and New Year period, and some could be temporarily closed until the end of the financial year to counter escalating energy costs.

The action is being proposed by Powys County Council and not-for-profit leisure operator Freedom Leisure in response to the cost-of-living crisis and a catastrophic increase in energy costs and will be considered by the Cabinet tomorrow (Tuesday).

Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys, Cllr David Selby said, “The current energy crisis is having a devastating impact on our leisure services at a time when many are struggling to recover from the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“While some activities have good participation and are growing, others including membership and fitness remain considerably below budget. The loss of income is being compounded by inflation with increased cost of supplies, services and wages.

“But the greatest impact is escalating energy costs. It is an industry-wide challenge that shines a light on swimming pools and their energy demands and something that is being experienced by all providers – both public and private.

“Freedom Leisure have already implemented a wide range of operational and energy efficiency measures to significantly reduce consumption, however, the additional costs for providing a leisure service in Powys is going to be more than £1m going forward.

“These eye watering levels of increased costs without additional targeted local or central government support are unsustainable.

“The Council is working closely with Freedom Leisure to implement temporary measures to reduce the deficit and investigating options for long-term provision.

“We know the options we are proposing will be disappointing but to take no action would risk the future of all leisure provision and put an unacceptable burden on the Council’s overall budget. Leisure provision will still be available in many other locations throughout the county.

“The temporary closures, both leisure centres and swimming pools, are based on those centres with the lowest public use, the highest costs and the greatest level of public subsidy. We are also taking into consideration the availability and distance to alternative centres.

“The action will buy us time, but we will have to carry out a thorough review of all leisure service provision in the county. The current model is unsustainable, and we must work with the people of Powys to create a structure that we can afford,” he added.

Proposals in detail

Christmas closure of all leisure centres December 23 – January 3, 2023

Temporary closure of Llanfair Caereinion, Llanfyllin and Presteigne (to the public): December 23 – March 31, 2023 (swimming pools closed to public and schools)

Temporary closure of swimming pools at Llanidloes, Rhayader and Builth (to the public and schools) December 23 – March 31, 2023

All Saunas to close

Leisure Centre fees & charges to increase for some activities from January 1, 2023

The proposals will be considered by a meeting of Powys County Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday December 13 at 10am.

9 December 2022

Three drop-in sessions are to be held to find new carers that can support vulnerable adults to live thriving and independent lives.

Powys County Council is looking for people in the county with a spare room and an interest in caring to become Shared Lives carers.

The council’s Shared Lives Service, where vulnerable adults can get support and develop their independence, have arranged the drop-in sessions.

The sessions take place on:

• Tesco, Welshpool: Monday 19 December – 10am to 3pm
• Morrisons, Newtown: Friday 13 January 2023 – 10am to 3pm
• Tesco, Llandrindod Wells: Wednesday 15 January 2023 – 10am to 3pm

Cllr Sian Cox, Cabinet Member for a Caring Powys, said: “I think that Shared Lives is one of our most innovating and inspiring projects, bringing people who require some support to live independently together with people who have space in their homes and time and support to offer.

“People living or staying with Shared Lives carers live independently and with real choice about how they want to live, in real homes, and are supported to live their best lives.  Being able to live our best life is what we want for everyone in Powys.

“We are looking for people with space in their homes and the ability to offer care to people who can no longer live independently without support.

“Shared Lives carers can provide long-term homes, short breaks or sessional support, depending on their capacity and preference – each of these is valuable and makes a huge difference to people’s lives. Shared Lives carers receive ongoing support, training and a regular allowance for their work.

“Shared Lives carers have the most rewarding of roles, helping people to flourish. They also come from all walks of life but share a common joy in being part of people’s success in living their best lives.

“These drop-in sessions are an opportunity to find out more about the Shared Lives service. If you or someone you know might be interested, do come and talk to us.”

If you’d like to find out more, please contact the Shared Lives team by emailing [email protected] or telephone 01597 827247

9 December 2022

A directory that lists places that can offer Powys people a warm welcome this winter has been launched by the county council.

Powys County Council’s Warm Spaces Directory is made up of libraries, community centres, churches and other places that are opening their doors to anyone who needs them.

The council has worked together with its partners as well as community groups and other organisations across the county to provide this network of warm spaces, which can offer Powys people a warm welcome this winter and a chance to socialise, work or take part in activities whilst keeping warm.

The directory can be found by visiting Cost of Living Hub – the council’s cost of living information hub. The warm spaces directory will be available in Welsh shortly.

The information hub, which was launched in October, has a wide range of information in one place to ensure people know what help is already available and how to access it.

Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Powys, said: “The cost of living crisis that the UK is experiencing is putting unprecedented pressures on people, who will be forced to make tough decisions about when and what they eat, what they can do in life, and when they can afford to heat their home.

“The warm space network can offer Powys people a warm welcome this winter and a chance to socialise, work or take part in activities whilst keeping warm.

“I would like to thank those organisations that have come forward to provide a warm space this winter.  They will be making a positive difference to our communities and will be helping Powys people during this crisis.”

Community groups and other organisations in Powys who are willing to provide a warm space can still fill in an Expression of Interest form by visiting Cost of Living Hub and clicking Creating warm spaces for Powys.

9 December 2022

Residents in Powys are being asked to help the council find anyone that may be sleeping rough in the county so that help and support can be provided.

Members of the public can let Powys County Council know about rough sleeping they come across by contacting its Housing Service on 01597 827464 or by emailing [email protected]

Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Powys, said: “With the weather turning colder, we’re asking residents to be on the lookout for anyone who is rough sleeping in the county.

“Whilst rough sleeping is the severest form of homelessness and must be avoided whenever possible, it is particularly important to pick up on when the weather is colder.

“Each time we know about a rough sleeper we will investigate and look to work with the individual to resolve their homelessness, including whenever possible, sourcing temporary accommodation.”

For those who feel their housing may be at risk, or to report an instance of rough sleeping contact the council’s Housing Service on 01597 827464 or email [email protected]

8 December 2022

This autumn at the annual Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership Board meeting, Emma Thomas was announced as the new Chair of the Board.

The Chair of the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership plays a key role in helping the region to drive its vision for learning and skills, represent the voice of the private sector, to influence and support decision-making and to champion the Mid Wales region at a national level.

Emma Thomas is currently the HR Manager at ABER Instruments, a Life Science Manufacturer, and has been with the company for the last seven and a half years. With a Marketing & Law degree from Aberystwyth University, an undergraduate Diploma, and a Postgraduate Diploma from University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Human Resource Management, Emma is also currently in the process of completing her Masters. During Emma’s time at ABER Instruments she has worked with Careers Wales, more recently as a Values Partner with Penglais School. She has also facilitated EESW (Engineering Education Scheme Wales) for several years on engineering projects with small groups of local sixth form pupils.  

Emma Thomas said: “I’m passionate about providing good quality jobs within the local area. As part of ABER Instruments Guiding Purpose, we aim to provide long term stable employment in Aberystwyth, offering all employees the opportunity to grow and flourish. As a growing organisation, our employee headcount has increased by 80% since 2015. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity of working with local schools, providing tours of the facility and careers talks. This has provided us with a great opportunity to engage with the next generation and raise young people’s awareness of our organisation, what we do and what we can offer.

“I am excited by the role of Chair for the RSP and hope that as a group we can help to make a difference by ensuring the correct skills provision is available to meet the needs and requirements of Mid Wales. Retaining our young people with the correct skills is essential to our economy.”

The appointment was made by Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of Ceredigion County Council and Councillor James Gibson-Watt, Leader of Powys County Council. They said: “We would like to extend a warm welcome to Emma as the new RSP Board Chair. This coming year will see some important areas of work for the Board such as the new 3-year Employment and Skills Plan 2022-2025 and its subsequent implementation.

“We would also like to thank Adrian Watkins for his dedication and hard work in helping to establish the RSP Board, firstly as interim Chair and then as substantive Chair until the annual meeting where he handed the role to Emma. Adrian has been instrumental in bringing the Board members together working in partnership, to collaborate on key areas for delivery, such as the Young Persons Guarantee report.”

Adrian Watkins said: “I’ve enjoyed my time as the RSP Board Chair and representing views of Mid Wales businesses and partners at Welsh Government meetings with senior civil servants. Although I’m stepping down as Chair, I will still be a Board member and look forward to working with Emma and continuing to support the work of the RSP.”

Keep up to date with the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership and other Growing Mid Wales developments by visiting www.growingmidwales.co.uk , or following @GrowingMidWales on Twitter and Tyfu Canolbarth Cymru | Growing Mid Wales on LinkedIn.

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