Powys County Council’s Cabinet will next week consider proposals to expand Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng in Welshpool to meet growing demand for Welsh-medium education in the area.
Cabinet members will be asked at their meeting on Tuesday, 22 September, to approve the start of a statutory consultation on a proposal to increase the school’s capacity from 150 to 210 pupils through the construction of a two-classroom extension. The proposal follows an options appraisal which identified expansion of the school as the preferred solution for meeting increasing demand for Welsh-medium places in the Welshpool catchment area.
Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng, which opened in 2018 and moved into its new purpose-built school building in 2023, has seen pupil numbers grow significantly in recent years. Current pupil numbers stand at 146, and forecasts indicate demand will continue to increase over the coming years.
The proposed extension would create an additional 60 places and help support the council’s ambitions to increase access to Welsh-medium education as outlined in its Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) and contribute towards the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 target of one million Welsh speakers.
The project has received approval in principle for Welsh Government Welsh-medium Capital Grant funding, which could provide 100% grant funding for the extension, subject to the approval of a business justification case.
Councillor James Gibson-Watt, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng has been a tremendous success story since it opened, with increasing numbers of families choosing Welsh-medium education for their children.
“As the only Welsh-medium primary school serving the Welshpool area, it is important that we continue to provide local access to Welsh-medium education and respond to growing demand from parents and pupils.
“The proposed extension would allow more children to benefit from the opportunities that Welsh-medium education provides, support the growth of Welsh language provision in north Powys and help us deliver our ambitions for a bilingual Powys.
“I would encourage anyone with an interest in the future of Welsh-medium education in the Welshpool area to take part in the consultation process should Cabinet agree to move forward with the proposal.”
If approved by Cabinet, the council will begin the statutory school organisation process required to consider the proposal. This would include a period of formal consultation, giving pupils, parents, staff, governors, local communities and other stakeholders the opportunity to share their views before any final decision is made.
The school is the only Welsh-medium primary school serving the Welshpool catchment area.
