THE fate of a troubled secondary school will be decided by Powys County Council next week.

John Beddoes School in Presteigne has been proposed for closure by the authority which wants it to be then taken over by Newtown High School, which is 33 miles away.

Last December John Beddoes became the first secondary school in Powys placed in special measures by education inspectors Estyn.

Under the council's plan, which it said was drawn up in response to a threat to close John Beddoes from education minister Leighton Andrews, the Presteigne school would become an 11 to 16 campus of Newtown.

The council's cabinet will decide the school's fate at its Tuesday, June 11 meeting at County Hall, Llandrindod Wells.

The Friends of John Beddoes want the school to continue and keep its own governing body and headteacher following a period of support from Newtown High - and have called on the authority to consider this as a third option.

The council's formal consultation on either closing John Beddoes entirely or closing the school paving the way for a takeover by Newtown, closed at the beginning of June.

Newtown High School is the county's first ever lead practitioner school, a Welsh Government initiative which sees the country's best performing schools providing support to other schools.

Cabinet Member for learning Councillor Myfanwy Alexander said: "Newtown High School is one the region's leading secondary schools. By utilising their expertise and leadership we can make an immediate and long lasting impact for the benefit of our learners.

"Our priority is to ensure that high quality, sustainable 11-16 secondary education thrives in Presteigne. Any alternative runs the risk of losing all secondary provision and that would have a hugely damaging impact on learners, the town and surrounding communities."

Campaigners fighting the proposed take over handed a 1,500 signature petition into Powys County Council ahead of the consultation closing.

They staged a tug of war demonstration outside County Hall before presenting their petition which was intended to demonstrate how pupils could be lost from East Radnorshire to schools in England.

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