Cyngor Gwynedd closes Ysgol Y Garreg Primary School on 31 August

Cyngor Gwynedd has voted unanimously to close Ysgol Y Garreg primary school in Garreg on 31 August, after the school was left with just 2 pupils. The remaining two Year six pupils are due to move on to secondary school in September.

The cabinet decision brings an end date to a school that had no pupils in nursery, reception or years one to five when the vote was taken. Dewi Jones, the council's cabinet member for education, said the proposal was one of the most difficult decisions he had faced.

Dewi Jones and the cabinet vote

Jones said: "Nobody goes into education in order to close schools," and added: "Our ambition is to see schools thriving, children succeeding and communities staying strong." After the vote, he said: "This is not a decision the cabinet wants to make, but it's a decision that certain circumstances have led us to."

He also said: "However painful it is to acknowledge that, we cannot ignore the facts before us, and in the specific position of Ysgol Y Garreg, it is impossible to ignore the seriousness of the situation."

Ysgol Y Garreg in Garreg

Jones said Ysgol Y Garreg had served the area faithfully for over a century. June Jones, speaking in support of the recommendation, described the situation as sad and said the school had been "a key part of the community for over a century".

Cyngor Gwynedd said it could not ignore the seriousness of the situation, and that falling pupil numbers across the local authority had made the decision unavoidable. The council said Gwynedd had experienced a significant reduction in the number of children over the past decade.

Welsh language concerns

Dilwyn Morgan raised concerns about the Welsh language. He said there might be more opportunities for the children moving to a larger school, where the Welsh language would be "a more natural part of their lives".

For the two pupils still at Ysgol Y Garreg, the immediate change is simple: the school closes at the end of the summer term, and they move on to secondary school in September.