Members of Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet have given the green light to closing three south Ceredigion schools.

A statutory notice to ‘discontinue’ both Beulah Primary School and Trewen Primary School will be published, with pupils being transferred to Cenarth Community Primary School in the Teifi Valley.

The number of pupils attending both schools was 18 in January. The cost per pupil at Beulah is £8,194 and at Trewen £7,294, with the average cost in the county just over £4,000.

And in a separate move, Ysgol Cilcennin will also close, with pupils being switched to either Felinfach or Dihewyd.

Beulah councillor Lyndon Lloyd said it was a "very sad day".

He added that, despite an increase in properties in the area, there had not been an increase in children, with many people moving from England to retire. He accused the planning policy of "sabotaging Beulah".

And Cilcennin councillor Marc Davies accused the local authority of "not caring" about the Cilcennin community.

“Yes, the figures show clearly that closing the school might be the wise thing to do, but I don’t feel it’s a wise option,” he added.

Responses following the statutory notice period will be heard at Cabinet in March and the final decision on the closure taken by full council in June.

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