Campaigners fighting to prevent the closure of Ysgol Trewen, which currently has only eight pupils, are appealing for more children to attend.

Ceredigion County Council is proposing the closure of Ysgol Trewen along with Ysgol Beulah next August, with pupils transferring to Ysgol Cenarth in the Teifi Valley.

Angry parents whose children attend Ysgol Trewen say pupils numbers have plunged from 60 in 2015 due to rumours of the school’s impending closure.

And following last week’s meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet, they accused the local authority of ignoring a number of points they had raised.

“During the meeting it was pointed out by one councillor that if the council stopped wasting money – having recently spent £30,000 tarmacing a farm track - there would be plenty of money for rural schools,” campaigner Liz Howell told the Cambrian News.

“The chair said at the end of the discussion that if more children signed up to Trewen, the school would stay open.

“As shown by last week’s Christmas show, Trewen is at the heart of the community.

“The council is trying to get rid of smaller schools to save money and started the consultation process just before new legislation came in to try to stop the closure of rural schools.

“That legislation states that closing small schools should be a last resort - but Ceredigion County Council is using it as a first resort.”

Campaigners believe a plan involving a nursery at the school and transport provision from Adpar could yet save Ysgol Trewen and claim there would be insufficient capacity at Cenarth were both Trewen and Beulah to close.

However, a council report has identified ‘a clear rationale’ for the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Gynradd Beulah and Trewen primary schools and to increase the capacity of Cenarth Primary School as a response to the decline in pupil numbers at both schools.

See this week’s South Ceredigion paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now