PLANS for a new school building for Machynlleth’s Ysgol Bro Hyddgen are being drawn up by Powys Council in a bid to win Welsh Government funding, school chiefs have announced.

The council is working on a business case to put to the Welsh Government in a bid to attract joint funding that could provide a new school building for the three to 18 school.

Dafydd Jones, the school’s headteacher, said that consultation with parents and residents would be launched into any proposal which he said was “encouraging” for the school’s future.

Mr Jones told the Cambrian News: “We can confirm that Powys County Council has started assembling a case for a brand-new school building with a view to seeking joint funding with the Welsh Government. As part of this process we will be consulting with parents and the wider community on a wide range of issues.”

But Mr Jones, in the letter on behalf of school staff and governors, hit back at Machynlleth town councillors who had criticised the school and claimed there was a “pupil exodus”.

Mr Jones insisted that any reduction in pupils was down to fluctuations between numbers in different year groups.

He said: “We are seriously concerned about recent allegations made in the press about our school which, if left unchallenged, could have a seriously damaging effect on the future of education in the area and our children’s prospects.

“People who make poorly researched comments and unfounded criticisms need to be aware not only of the immediate implications but also the long-term, unintended consequences of their intemperate declarations.

“In January 2014 the ‘whole school pupils’ on roll were 548. By January 2015 the corresponding number was 527, a difference of 21, not 56 as recently reported in the press.

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