Cabinet to consider Ysgol Calon Cymru consultation report

8 October 2025

Ambitious plans to transform education in Powys, which could see a new Welsh-medium all-age school established as well as significant investment in two school buildings, could take a step closer if a recommendation to Cabinet is approved, the county council has said.

Powys County Council developed transformation proposals for Ysgol Calon Cymru and Builth Wells C.P. School as part of its Transforming Education programme.

These bold new plans will help Powys County Council reach its goals for Welsh-medium education and support its vision for transforming education. Thanks to the Welsh Government's Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, these schools will see major upgrades.

The Builth Wells campus will be remodelled to welcome younger children with new spaces for early years and primary learning as part of a new all-age Welsh-medium school.

Meanwhile, the Llandrindod campus of Ysgol Calon Cymru is set for a dramatic transformation, with brand-new buildings that will give future learners a bright, modern, and inspiring place to learn and grow.

The proposals, which would be delivered in two phases, are:

Phase one (September 2027)

New Welsh-medium school

A new Welsh-medium all-age school (4-18) would be established on the current Builth campus of Ysgol Calon Cymru.  This would mean that:

• All Welsh-medium pupils from Builth Wells C.P. School would transfer to the new Welsh-medium all-age school in September 2027 and Builth Wells C.P School would no longer have a Welsh stream.
• Welsh-medium provision for Years 7, 8 and 9 would also be available at the new school with pupils transferring from Ysgol Calon Cymru.
• Initially, this new school would share the Builth campus with Ysgol Calon Cymru with part of the building being remodelled to include accommodation suitable and safe for primary aged pupils.  Pupils would continue to be able to join Ysgol Calon Cymru for English-medium provision on both the Builth Wells and Llandrindod campuses.
• This would be a temporary arrangement until works to improve and extend Ysgol Calon Cymru's campus in Llandrindod Wells are completed.

Ysgol Calon Cymru

• From September 2027 Ysgol Calon Cymru would continue to have a Welsh-medium stream for Years 10 onwards but this will be phased out by September 2029.
• Secondary-aged pupils wishing to have English-medium provision would continue to be able to access the Builth Wells campus of Ysgol Calon Cymru, until new facilities are available on the Llandrindod Wells campus.

Phase 2 (September 2029 at the earliest):

• Following capital investment at the Llandrindod Wells campus to improve and enhance the facilities, Ysgol Calon Cymru would then close its Builth Wells campus and operate solely from the Llandrindod campus.  Free home-to-school transport would be provided for all eligible learners.
• The new Welsh-medium all-age school would then take over the entire Builth Wells campus.

The council carried out a seven-week consultation between May and July 2025 and the findings of the consultation report will be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday, October 14.

The recommendation being considered by Cabinet is that the council should proceed with the proposals by publishing a Statutory Notice.

However, the concerns raised during the consultation period are fully acknowledged, and it is recognised that a comprehensive package of support will need to be put in place to support transition to the proposed new model, to minimise impact on the affected schools and pupils during this time.

Should Cabinet decide to publish a Statutory Notice, this wouldn't be published until after half term. There would then be a period of 28 days for people to submit written objections to the proposal.

Cllr James Gibson-Watt, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: "We would like to thank all those who took part in the consultation exercise for this proposal. After considering all the consultation responses, the recommendation that will be put forward to Cabinet is to continue with the proposal by publishing the statutory notice formally proposing the change.

"It has been apparent for several years that Ysgol Calon Cymru's two sited model is causing challenges while the Welsh-medium provision at the school itself and the wider catchment does not meet our aspirations for Welsh-medium provision.

"This exciting proposal represents the next stage in the delivery of our strategic plans for education in Powys. They will move us one step closer to delivering our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys and Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.

"The proposals would see the first new Welsh-medium all-age school established in central Powys which would provide an improved Welsh-medium experience for our learners while a broader curriculum could be provided to English-medium learners who would all be on one campus, eliminating the need to duplicate English-medium provision across two sites.

"As part of our proposals, we would invest in both campuses to ensure that all learners are taught in 21st Century facilities that will enable them to thrive and reach their full potential."

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

To read the updated Strategy for Transforming Education 2020-2032 and details of the Transforming Education Programme - Wave 2 (2022 - 2027) visit Transforming Education