Parents in Crickhowell are among those who have been voicing their opinions on proposals to overhaul post-16 education in Powys.

One of the options currently out for public consultation includes the closure of Crickhowell Sixth Form, with others in the county, and the establishment of two hubs for English-language post-16 provision in Brecon and Newtown.

The official campaign, Save Our Sixth Form Crickhowell, which is lead by Crickhowell Town Council, has been campaigning at local primary schools to raise awareness among those who would be affected by the closure.

“I don't understand Powys County Council (PCC),” one parent said.

“In the world of commerce, no company would shut down its most successful business unit. They would leverage that success and grow it.”

“PCC claims that standards need to improve in all Welsh schools, which is true, but they have offered no evidence that sending Crickhowell High students to a Brecon Sixth Form College would improve standards for more students.”

The consultation runs until Sunday November 30, after which point Powys County Council will consider the nature of the responses.

Crickhowell Sixth Form is one of the best performing post-16 centres in Wales, as 100 per cent of leavers made their way into the world of work or further education last year.

The school also boasts the largest sixth form in county, meaning any movement of A-level education out of town could displace more students than any other proposed closure.

The council has, however, confirmed that any changes would be unlikely to take place before 2030 if it decided to end provision in the town. As a result, school pupils currently in Years five and six are the most likely to be affected by any new plan.

Save Our Sixth Form Crickhowell, which is being lead by Crickhowell Town Council alongside surrounding community councils, said other provision is not viable for many families.

As such, their recent campaigning has also shown that parents would be more likely to send their children out of the county to study.

“Powys County Council has assumed that all CHS Sixth Form learners would just transfer to Brecon,” another parent told the Chronicle.

“That is a very odd assumption to make when there are other institutions closer to home that have a track record. Why would I send my child further to a school with no academic record?”

Another rose more specific concerns about any provision meting the needs of their son while being based so far away.

“As a parent of a son with additional learning needs (ALN) provision, I am surprised to see this, as the changes proposed directly impact the physical and spatial accessibility of education, especially for those with ALN in terms of access and transitions.”

“We keep getting fobbed off by Powys which says it is in the process of consulting. I want to see the information used to decide to initiate what must be an expensive consultation.”

Those concerned about the closure are being urged to fill out the survey, which can be found by clicking here.