Welsh councils this month made decisions on school closures and openings, special school space, and school repairs, while budgets and additional learning needs (ALN) funding remained pressure points. Carmarthenshire, Powys, Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea took some of the main decisions.[7][8][4][2][5]
Written in November 2026 from council records since 20 September 2026, open consultations and official sources. Written automatically, then checked: every point names its sources and every figure appears in them. Follow the links to check anything before relying on it.
Councils run community schools, fund every state school, provide school transport and support pupils with additional learning needs. They plan school places, including Welsh-medium places under a ten-year plan.
The Cabinet decides on school changes, such as opening, closing or merging schools, after a formal consultation. Head teachers and governing bodies run each school day to day.
Proposals to change a school must be consulted on, and anyone can respond. Parents can also become school governors.
| Council | Items | With a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Powys | 93 | 65 |
| Carmarthenshire | 91 | 71 |
| Pembrokeshire | 69 | 60 |
| Flintshire | 65 | 50 |
| Swansea | 65 | 42 |
| Cardiff | 53 | 50 |
| Caerphilly | 53 | 0 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 52 | 46 |
| Monmouthshire | 48 | 11 |
| Ceredigion | 44 | 38 |
| Gwynedd | 43 | 38 |
| Newport | 43 | 22 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 42 | 28 |
| Conwy | 40 | 36 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 39 | 28 |
| Wrexham | 36 | 32 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 29 | 24 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 27 | 23 |
| Denbighshire | 22 | 17 |
| Bridgend | 18 | 0 |
| Torfaen | 10 | 7 |
Decided: Cabinet resolved that the use of the former St Mary's Primary School site as an interim solution for Greenfield Special School, until the new school opens in September 2029, be recommended to Full Council and approved. It also resolved the same for the estimated additional revenue costs from April 2027.
Decided: Cabinet approved moving the opening of Ysgol Bro Epynt from September 2027 to September 2028. From 2028 the school will take pupils from reception to Year 9, with a year group added each year until Year 13 in 2032, and will share the Builth Wells campus of Ysgol Calon Cymru at first. Ysgol Calon Cymru will change from dual stream to English-medium, with dual stream provision continuing on its Builth Wells campus for pupils in Year 10 and above until they leave. Builth Wells C.P. School will change to English-medium, and its Welsh-medium pupils will move to the new school.
RESOLVED that the report be accepted, and Cabinet approves the Home to School and Post 16 Transport Policy 2027/2028 (Appendix 1) for publication.
RESOLVED to: 1. APPROVE the payment of up to £40,000 of the trust monies held by the Trust to Ysgol Henry Richard subject to the conditions that any payments will be made in arrears on receipt of relevant copy invoices and that the money will only be used towards pre-construction costs of the development of an artificial pitch at Ysgol Henry Richard; 2. To delegate authority to the Chair, or Vice-Chair in the absence of the Chair to approve the release of the funding on receipt of the invoices; 3. To NOTE the report and progress to-date and resolve that a further update report be presented by Officers to the Charity Trustee Committee at its next available meeting.
RESOLVED to: • APPROVE Officers seeking quotes for the farmhouse works detailed in Appendix B and Appendix C (excluding the electrical work referred to in Appendix C where that is covered by recommendation 3 below) of the Exempt report to Committee on the 16th January 2025 which is attached as Exempt Appendix 1 to this report. • Delegate authority to the Chair and Vice Chair in the Chair’s absence to consider and make decisions upon Officer recommended quotes following recommendation 1 above. Any decisions of the Chair and Vice-Chair will be reported to the next available Committee for noting. • APPROVE Officers accepting the quote for the electrical work detailed in Exempt Appendix 2 to this report.
Decided: Cabinet approved nine nominations to fill local authority governor vacancies on school governing bodies.
Decided: Cabinet considered the responses to the public open space notice, which the Council published under section 122(2A) of the Local Government Act 1972. It resolved that the land is no longer needed for its current purpose, and appropriated it from General Fund purposes to Education purposes, so that it can be allocated as a potential site for the new build of Ysgol Calon Lân, subject to Planning and Welsh Government approval.
Decided: Cabinet approved a change to the design brief for Gowerton School (Secondary) under the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. It also approved a revised sum of £2,523,285 for pre-construction costs, committed to the capital programme, which is £4,557,600 less than the £7,080,885 approved in July 2025.
Decided: Cabinet approved receiving and committing the £2,962,397 Welsh Government grant to the capital programme for school repairs and maintenance, subject to confirmation of the final grant award and conditions. It delegated to the Director of Education and the Director of Place the task of identifying and prioritising the schemes, and allowed the Director of Finance and the Director of Education to substitute up to £1,533,800 of the grant for core capital funding if needed, with the equivalent borrowing moved to 2027-28. The schemes may include roofing at YGG Bryn Tawe and Cefn Hengoed Community School, toilet upgrades, and new heating for four primary schools that rely on oil-fired boilers.
Decided: The Council agreed to implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol y Fro, as set out in the statutory notice. The school will close on 31 December 2026, and pupils will move to Ysgol y Dderwen from 1 January 2027.
Decided: The Council agreed to implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Meidrim, as set out in the statutory notice. The school will close on 31 December 2026, and pupils will move to Ysgol Hafodwenog or Ysgol Griffith Jones from 1 January 2027.