A new £22m school facing redundancies and cuts just months after opening has been told to “manage” its finances amid fears that pupils won’t be safe. Powys Council has put out a statement insisting that “a safe learning environment will always be maintained” at Ysgol Robert Owen as it warned other schools in the county are also making cuts.
The council commented after it emerged that Ysgol Robert Owen in Newton, which opened in September 2024, funded by the Welsh Government and Powys Council faces a minimum £300,000 deficit and losing an estimated 20 full time equivalent jobs. National Education Union Cymru members are seeking a ballot for industrial action in protest and you can read full details of that here.
In a statement Powys Council said: “Claims that redundancies at a special school in north Powys would create an unsafe environment for learners and staff have been rejected by the county council. Powys County Council has moved to reassure parents whose children attend Ysgol Robert Owen in Newtown that a safe learning environment will always be maintained at the school.” For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
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The school, which opened to a fanfare of comments from the council that it was “much needed” and would “transform” education in the county, has empty places. This will add to financial strain as schools are funded per pupil and led to questions from NEU Cymru about why capital was secured without plans for ongoing revenue funding.
“Some schools in the county, including Ysgol Robert Owen, have begun management of change processes in response to the financial pressures that they are facing,” admitted Powys Council in a statement in response to claims about the cuts.
“Any management of change follows a formal process with clear stages and Ysgol Robert Owen is at the staff consultation phase, which is at an early stage of the process.
“When developing any staffing structure and curriculum plan, the school would consider the needs of individual and groups of learners and any changes would not jeopardise the safety of learners or staff.”
Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Schools across Wales, like councils, are facing significant financial pressures which need to be managed. Although we are proposing to add an additional £7.3m to the schools’ delegated budgets as part of the council’s 2025/26 budget proposal to meet pay and spending pressures, there may be specific challenges for individual school budgets.
“Due to this, we are asking our school leaders to consider how they manage their financial pressures to ensure they don’t go into a budget deficit. Maintaining a safe learning environment for learners and staff and as well as delivering the Curriculum for Wales will always be the priority for schools across the county. The council would not accept any changes at a school that would jeopardise this.
“The council support schools through any management of change process to ensure that they are able deliver the curriculum and maintain a safe learning environment within their resources.”
Soon after the new school, formerly Ysgol Cedewain, was opened Powys Council released a statement saying that it was a “much needed” and “milestone” project. The council said it would “transform education in Powys” and had improved facilities for the “most vulnerable pupils”, including a hydro-therapy pool.
Nicola Fitzpatrick, Interim Wales Secretary for the National Education Union (NEU) Cymru, has said she was shocked that planning for ongoing running costs do not seem to have been factored in and that not all places in the school are filled. She said the council should now identify the funds “to run this brand-new facility safely and at its full potential”.
At the same time as county-wide cuts and financial pressures Powys Council is now planning another new multi million pound school. A new £12.7m school will replace Brynllywarch Hall School’s current building in Kerry near Newtown if cabinet agrees. The school provides education for eight to 19year-olds, with a wide range of complex emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.
Cabinet will be told in February that the funding required for the replacement school would be £12.7m with 75% of funding coming from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. The remaining 25% would be funded by the council.
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