Plans to replace Sennybridge C.P. School with a new, purpose-built 120-place primary school have taken a significant step forward today.

Powys County Council’s Cabinet has now given the green light to submit an Outline Business Case to the Welsh Government.

The new school is intended to replace the existing Sennybridge C.P. School building, which council officials say no longer meets the needs of modern education or the well-being requirements of its pupils.

The Cabinet’s approval today (Tuesday) signals the next phase of development. The Outline Business Case will now be submitted to the Welsh Government for further consideration.

In addition to the new building, the council is also exploring the possibility of shifting the school further along the Welsh language continuum. This comes in response to a growing number of students choosing Welsh-medium education at Sennybridge in recent years. However, council officials stress that these discussions are in the early stages, and any potential changes to the school’s language category would require a formal consultation with the school, the local community, and other key stakeholders.

Cllr Pete Roberts, education portfolio holder on Powys County Council, emphasised the importance of the project for the future of education in the region.

“Sennybridge C.P. School’s existing building is not suitable to meet the needs of a 21st century curriculum or meet the well-being needs of pupils,” he said.

“The new school for Sennybridge will provide facilities that the children deserves and will enable the curriculum to be delivered in a continuous and coherent way from the Foundation Stage through to the end of Key Stage 2. Early years childcare provision can be co-located onto one site as part of these plans.

“If the Outline Business Case is approved by both Cabinet and Welsh Government, this would represent another huge investment in our school infrastructure.

“We will also start looking at the possibility of moving Sennybridge C.P. School along the Welsh language continuum, which could mean that, in future, all pupils attending the school would become fully bilingual – fluent in Welsh and English.

“However, whilst we have had some initial discussions about these plans with the school leadership, proposals to change the school’s language category remain at an early stage. This will require a formal consultation with the school community, the wider community and other key stakeholders before any changes are implemented.”