ATTEMPTS by parents to provide funding to keep the primary school in Beulah open are unlikely to succeed and would see any money donated go into the council’s coffers, parents have been warned.

As part of a review of schools in Beulah, Trewen and Cenarth, Ceredigion County Council Cabinet members have agreed to launch a consultation into the potential closure of the schools at Beulah and Trewen, although it was agreed that Cenarth School will continue as it is.

With pupil numbers at both Beulah and Trewen dropping to 18, a school review panel and meeting of the learning communities scrutiny committee had backed the potential closures of the school, although Bryan Davies, who sits on the committee, said that there was still a chance for alternative options to be put forward during the consultation.

He said: “The door is still open and it’s important for people to hear that if other options are brought forward by the community, will be considered.”

Local councillor Lyndon Lloyd, whose ward contains all three schools, said that parents in Beulah had been hoping to keep the school open by providing funding.

He said: “The parents have continued to support the school. They’ve tried to persuade officers and councillors that raising money in many areas would support the school financially.

“It’s very, very important that this scheme the parents of Beulah have is brought up in the consultation.”

However, council chief executive Eifion Evans said that the defining factor in the school’s future was pupil numbers and that donations would not necessarily change the decision.

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