A small south Powys school who fought for months to stay open had its fare sealed at a meeting of the county council this week when members voted for its closure.

Llanbedr Church in Wales School will close from August 31.

Powys County Council is looking to reconfigure and rationalise the primary school provision in the county as part of its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030 .

Last year, cabinet gave the go-ahead for a statutory notice to be published formally proposing the closure when nearly 350 objections were received.

On Tuesday March cabinet received and considered the objection report and approved the proposal to close Llanbedr Church in Wales School with pupils to attend their nearest alternative school.

Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: “After carefully considering the objections, Cabinet has approved the proposal to close Llanbedr Church in Wales School.’’

“We are committed to transforming the learner experience and entitlement for our learners and we will achieve this by delivering our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.

“Our strategy is ambitious, exciting and we believe it will give our learners the best possible start they deserve. However, as we start to implement it, we will be faced with significant decisions as we look to address some of the challenges facing education in Powys which include the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places.

“This decision has not been reached lightly. Not only has it been robustly challenged by senior leaders within the council at every step, but it has been developed with the best interest of the learners, who have been at the forefront of our discussions and decision-making.”

For more information about Transforming Education in Powys, visit www.powys.gov.uk/transformingeducation.