A £10.27 million plan to amalgamate one secondary and two primary schools in Bala has met with general approval following the latest round of consultation.

The plan envisages closing Ysgol y Berwyn, Ysgol Bro Tegid and Ysgol Beuno Sant and creating a learning

campus on the current Ysgol y Berwyn site in Bala.

Ysgol y Berwyn is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school for pupils aged 11–18, Ysgol Bro Tegid, is a co-educational bilingual primary school for 3-11 year olds and Ysgol Beuno Sant is a Church in Wales primary school. The plan should bring annual savings of £85,000.

The consultation results will go before Gwynedd County Council's cabinet next Tuesday.

The consultation was held between November 22 and January 10, and the council's report on responses said: "The majority of comments were supportive. It was felt the proposal would improve the quality of education and learning environment, although there was a little frustration about the historic reorganisation process in the catchment area."

It was originally scheduled to open in September 2018 as a Church in Wales school.

However disagreements between the Diocese of St Asaph and Gwynedd county council and other schools in the area led to the re-consultation, hence the opening has been delayed until September 2019.

There were 28 responses to the consultation including reactions from pupils, staff, governors and

parents, as well various official bodies.

The £10.27 million investment the plan would bring was welcomed, as it is anticipated it will significantly improve pupils' learning environment, and so promote better education.

It will result in more than an investment in the campus. By bringing the schools together into one establishment, staff resources and expertise can be shared, leading to an improvement in the quality of education.

It will also improve the condition and standard of the school buildings, introduce a new senior management system and bring flexibility in the staffing structure, it will also reduce the number of surplus places in the catchment area.

Bala's town clerk, Mrs Liz Puw, a former head teacher, said: "This development has been on the cards since 2015 and now people can't wait for it to happen. It will bring a huge investment and make an attractive school.

"It will be good for the well-being of the pupils and staff and provide a state of the art learning environment and community facilities including a library and a theatre."

Mrs Puw said before retirement she was head teacher at a school in Machynylleth where similar proposals were brought forward. She added: "Although I retired before they were opened I know it was a success. I see no reason why it shouldn't be a success here, and there is every indication it will be."

A local ward councillor, Alan Jones Evans, said: "We very much welcome the investment, and are looking forward to the local educational facilities being brought up to date.

"There has been a very positive response to the plan and the investment is long overdue. We need 21st century facilities so our young people can complete the current workplace."

Mr Andrew Roberts, head teacher of Ysgol y Berwyn said: "This type of school will serve the community efficiently, and reflect the wishes of the vast majority of the community. Construction on the site will be completed within the next three to four months, which will coincide with the creation of a new board of governors. The work involved in ensuring a suitable staffing structure for the school will begin this summer, subsequently, the new school will officially open in September 2019.

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