Proposals that could result in the closure of three schools have been backed by senior leaders in Carmarthenshire.

Carmarthenshire County Council cabinet members agreed to publish a statutory notice to close Ysgol Llansteffan, Llansteffan, and start a formal consultation about Ysgol Y Fro, near Kidwelly, and Ysgol Meidrim, west of Carmarthen. But a formal consultation about Ysgol Pontiets, Pontyates, is being delayed.

People will be able to respond to the statutory notice and consultations for the three affected schools and any final closure decisions would be made by full council.

Councillors Meinir James and Jean Lewis, whose wards include Ysgol Y Fro and Ysgol Meidrim respectively, addressed cabinet urging members to think again.

Cllr James said Ysgol Y Fro offered a unique Welsh experience for pupils who spoke the language in the school yard, and that parents have suggested it could become a “sub-school”, “hub” or “rural branch” in order to keep it open.

She said some parents would home-educate or send their children to dual stream or English-speaking schools if Ysgol Y Fro closed.

Cllr James also said closing the school in the middle of the academic year in December 2026 – assuming that future decisions were made to this end – would be detrimental for pupils.

Council chiefs have long been worried about dwindling pupil numbers, deficit spending and a shortage of headteachers in many schools in the county, particularly smaller ones, and believe pupils would have more opportunities at larger ones.

Cllr James acknowledged the financial situation but felt small rural schools would pay the price to keep urban schools operating. “We have to be certain that everything else has been considered,” she said.

Cllr Lewis urged cabinet not to proceed with the formal consultation for Ysgol Meidrim as the discussions thus far, she said, had been “subject to misunderstandings and a lack of communication”.

She said governors have come up with options to make the school more sustainable and that the expected savings of the council’s closure proposal were only just over £13,000 per year because transport costs would be higher than they are currently.

“Are you genuinely convinced that this saving is enough to justify closure of this school?” said Cllr Lewis, whose speech was applauded by supporters in the gallery at County Hall.

She also said it was important rural communities were rejuvenated and that closing a valuable resource like Ysgol Meidrim sent “a contrary message”.

She called on the Plaid-Independent cabinet to pause and thoroughly evaluate the school’s proposals before moving ahead to any formal consultation.

Cllr Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education and Welsh language, said the collective and ongoing deficit spending of schools in Carmarthenshire was an “extremely difficult situation” for the council.

This was particular the case for smaller schools, he said, with 17 out of 23 schools with fewer than 50 pupils currently in the red. Cllr Davies added that falling pupil numbers at certain schools – a result of declining birthrates and parents deciding to send their children to other schools instead – led to empty seats and even classrooms.

“As a cabinet we don’t want to be in this position,” he said. “I understand completely and sympathise with how local members (councillors), governors, staff and parents feel. There have been difficult discussions and thorough discussions between members of the cabinet before we got to this point.”

Referring to Cllr Lewis’ concerns about the process – known as the “stage zero” process – thus far at Ysgol Meidrim, Cllr Davies said: “I acknowledge the governors felt that the stage zero process was not clear and that there was a lack of communication.” Lessons, he said, would be learned to make the process as transparent and effective as possible.

Cllr Alun Lenny, cabinet member for resources, said 71 children in Ysgol Y Fro’s catchment area attended other schools, while 21 children from Ysgol Meidrim’s catchment did the same. “That is not a criticism, that is their [parents’] choice,” he said.

The last decision made by cabinet was to proceed with a statutory notice to close the 62-pupil capacity Ysgol Llansteffan because it only had eight learners during a school census in January, although the number is forecast to rise. Cllr Davies said there would be sufficient space at Ysgol Llangain for Ysgol Llansteffan pupils should the latter close next August.

The cabinet meeting also heard the council’s initial proposal to start a formal consultation on the future of Ysgol Pontiets was being put on hold because of its location close to Carway Community Primary School, between Pontyates and Trimsaran, which closed at the start of this term due to building safety concerns. Carway pupils currently go to Gwynfryn School, Pontyates, while the council works out a solution.

There was no further discussion about Ysgol Pontiets, where a public meeting was held on November 6 and supporters vowed to fight to save it.

A spokesman for the school supporters said the delay was a relief but that “the anxiety and uncertainty” would continue. “There is no clarity as to how long the delay will be,” he said. “For the benefit of the children and staff we must continue to fight, demand fairness for our families and our community, and ensure a future for a school – which has just celebrated its hundred and fifty years – for generations to come.”

Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith said it didn’t believe cabinet should have taken the decisions on the three schools due to concerns raised about the process to date.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith spokesman Ffred Ffransis added: “The preparation work to ensure responses to the consultations and objections to the statutory notice to close, together with the three schools, will start straight away.”

In a statement issued by Carmarthenshire County Council following the decision, the Local Authority’s Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Glynog Davies said: “We of course understand how difficult this is for the schools involved and wholeheartedly sympathise with the parents, staff, governors and local members.

“It is important to note that no decisions have been made with regards to Ysgol Meidrim and Ysgol y Fro and a consultation process will provide an opportunity for those school communities to have their say as part of the decision-making process,” he added.

What happens next?

The formal consultations about the future of Ysgol Y Fro and Ysgol Meidrim will run from January 13 to February 24 next year.

If cabinet then decides to issue a statutory notice to close the two schools it’s likely to do so on June 1. People would have a chance to respond until July 14.

Final decisions would then be made by full council in mid-October, potentially resulting in the closure of the schools at the end of December 2026.

Ysgol Llansteffan is further down the line towards a closure decision. A statutory notice is to be published shortly, and public feedback to it will be considered by cabinet in March next year.

A final decision to close the school could then be made by full council resulting in the doors shutting for the final time at the end of July 2026.

Meanwhile, cabinet is pausing a proposal to begin a formal consultation about the future of Ysgol Pontiets.