A consultation on the closure of a Dwyfor primary school with only eight pupils has been unanimously approved after it emerged that the average cost per pupil there was over three times that of other schools.

Ysgol Llanaelhaearn’s intake is far below its capacity of 53, and pupil numbers are projected to drop to just five by September 2021.

As a result Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet has approved a request to carry out a formal consultation on closing the school and sending the pupils 3.6 miles away to Ysgol Bro Plenydd, Y Ffôr from September 2020.

Addressing members in Caernarfon on Tuesday, the Cabinet member for education thanked the community for their willingness to engage, but said that the authority had to consider what was best for the children.

Cllr Aled Wyn Jones said that while the school delivered an “excellent education”, he had to concede that numbers had dipped to a level that was “concerning” and thus a much higher cost per pupil than the county average.

The report presented to Cabinet members said the school was in a “vulnerable position” and under “increasing budgetary pressures” with the average cost per pupil for 2019/20 standing at £12,671 – compared with the county-wide average per pupil cost of £3,884 for the same period.

Having suffered from a major drop in pupil numbers over recent years the school, which has no permanently-based headteacher, currently shares with Ysgol Garndolbenmaen and Ysgol Chwilog, one full time primary teacher and a full time assistant based at Llanaelhaearn.

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