ANGRY Machynlleth parents have called a public meeting about the future of Ysgol Bro Hyddgen’s English-language reception stream after a meeting with senior staff and governors was closed to most concerned parents.

While a handful of parents were allowed to attend the meeting with senior school staff and governors on Monday evening, many others were left outside despite having major concerns over the potential loss of the English reception stream and how that could lead to the school having no English-language stream in future.

A small number of parents, whose children had been put forward for the reception class English stream, met with school authorities, but one parent, Aimee Roberts, said she had arranged a full public meeting after realising the strength of feeling of parents and other residents of Machynlleth and the Dyfi Valley.

That meeting will be held at Y Plas in Machynlleth at 5pm next Monday, 21 May.

Mrs Roberts, who has two children in the school already in the Welsh-language stream, said her third child would have entered the English stream, but the family were only made aware recently that no English stream may be provided.

She said: “I had zero idea this was happening. Nobody told us anything.

“There are parents so concerned about this. It’s divided the community.

“The meeting tonight was arranged by me when I app­roached the school and asked them what they wanted to put on the agenda, so I’m currently very cross.

“Apparently Powys don’t know anything about this decision so we don’t know if there are other schools that can take our children into an English-language stream.”

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