‘Devastated’ parents hit out as council votes to AXE village school despite rising numbers claim

Carmarthenshire County Council has today (Wednesday 4 March) issued a notice to shut Ysgol Llansteffan, marking the end of an era for the local community.

The controversial move, which will see the school close its doors on August 31, 2026, will force pupils to move to Ysgol Llangain from September 1.

Council bosses have defended the decision, claiming the school has too many empty desks and a mounting budget deficit.

Official figures suggest the school had just eight registered pupils at the start of 2025, with bosses claiming there is little chance of numbers picking up.

But the Ysgol Llansteffan Parent Teacher Association has slammed the move, previously telling chiefs that pupil numbers were actually starting to grow. This follows a statutory closure notice that was issued in late 2025.

Language campaigners from Cymdeithas yr Iaith have also waded into the row, previously vowing to fight what they describe as “flawed” closure plans, and have now submitted a formal complaint to the Welsh Language Commissioner.

Ffred Ffransis, representing the group, has said that parents are “devastated” by the lack of support for the school in the council chamber today.

“Not only does closing a school disrupt children’s education and remove one of the main Welsh language institutions from the community, but we saw a democratic deficit today,” Mr Ffransis has stated.

He also hit out at the fact that there was “not a single word” in favour of the school from councillors during the meeting.

The school is one of four across the county facing the axe as part of a massive shake-up of local education.

Cllr Glynog Davies, Cabinet Member for Education, has admitted the decision was “difficult for everyone involved” and has been agreed with “sadness.”

Senedd committee accuses WRU of ‘dereliction of duty’ over controversial plans to cut a Welsh region

In a damning letter, a cross-party Senedd committee told WRU bosses they have “lost the argument” over the future of the professional game and warned them not to find themselves in a position of “winning the vote but losing the soul of Welsh rugby.”

The broadside from the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee comes after a fiery evidence session last week where WRU Chair Richard Collier-Keywood was grilled by politicians.

The WRU has been pushing forward with plans to reduce the number of professional teams in Wales from four to three, a move that has sparked a furious backlash from fans, regions, and politicians alike.

The committee’s letter, signed by Chair Delyth Jewell MS, states that Welsh rugby is in a “perilous state” and that the WRU’s proposals have caused “considerable concern to people across our nation.”

“It is clear the union does not have the consensus needed to move forward with the proposal to reduce the number of regional sides from four to three,” the letter reads. “The WRU must recognise that it has lost the argument over the future of the professional game.”

The committee was particularly scathing about the WRU’s admission that it has no ‘Plan B’ if its current proposals do not progress as planned.

“We were alarmed to hear you tell us that you have no Plan B,” the letter continues. “Were this the case, it could represent a significant dereliction of duty. We urge you to find an alternative approach that continues to stabilise the finances of the Union and maintains confidence, whilst rebuilding trust with clubs and supporters.”

The intervention from the Senedd is the latest blow to the WRU’s leadership, which has faced a furious political backlash and a vote of no-confidence over its handling of the game’s future.

The Ospreys and Scarlets have been particularly vocal in their opposition to the plans, issuing a joint statement condemning the uncertainty that has left the regions in limbo.

The letter concludes with a stark warning to the WRU leadership.

“The people of Wales feel a deep sense of ownership, pride and emotional connection to the game. That connection must be respected and nurtured. The union must not find itself in the position of winning the vote but losing the soul of Welsh rugby.”

Welsh Government offering £5,000 to tempt Welsh‑speaking teachers into secondary schools

Applications have opened for the latest round of Cynllun Pontio, a scheme that retrains Welsh‑speaking primary teachers — and those who’ve left the profession — to switch into secondary education. The programme pays participants a salary while they retrain, with ministers saying it is vital to meet demand for Welsh‑medium teaching.

Nearly 100 people have already gone through the scheme since 2020, but buried in the small print is a further sweetener: a £5,000 retention bursary for eligible secondary teachers who teach Welsh or teach through the medium of Welsh.

The incentive is part of an £8m package aimed at boosting the Welsh‑medium workforce, including funding to keep A‑level Welsh courses running in schools with low numbers and extra support for English‑medium teachers learning Welsh.

Ysgol Bro Teifi headteacher Gareth Evans said the scheme had already helped his school retrain primary teachers and bring them into the secondary sector.

“Cynllun Pontio has enabled us to retrain primary teachers to develop their experience and confidence,” he said. “Some have stayed with us, others have secured jobs elsewhere. It’s a unique and effective programme.”

Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle said the scheme was about supporting people who want to switch sectors while strengthening the Welsh‑medium workforce.

“We want to support those who want to make the switch to secondary education or rejoin teaching,” she said. “This programme provides training and financial support to help people in their education career.”

Applications are open until 22 February 2026, with candidates asked to submit forms by email.

Pontardawe Arts Centre to host new drama inspired by forgotten Welsh folk songs recorded in a workhouse

Pontardawe is one of just 13 venues across Wales chosen to host Ledi’r Wyrcws (The Lady of the Workhouse), a new production uncovering the remarkable true story behind one of Wales’s most important folk‑song collections.

The drama, written by author and academic Jerry Hunter, explores the unlikely relationship between Lady Amy Parry‑Williams — wife of renowned scholar and poet T. H. Parry‑Williams — and a woman living in a workhouse in the 1950s, where Amy recorded traditional songs that were on the brink of disappearing forever.

A forgotten workhouse and a cultural mystery

Hunter says the idea struck him after giving a talk in Denbigh, when a member of the audience pointed out an old building across the road — once a workhouse where Lady Parry‑Williams had captured some of her most treasured recordings.

He was stunned to learn that a workhouse was still operating in the 1950s, years after the founding of the NHS.

The revelation sparked a series of questions that form the backbone of the play: Who was the woman singing in the workhouse? Why was she there? And what conversations unfolded between two women from completely different worlds, united only by their love of Welsh culture?

Hunter said the story “immediately captured” his imagination, leading him to picture the pair spending a day together — one a respected academic’s wife, the other living in poverty — yet both preserving the same musical heritage.

Touring Wales — with a key stop in Pontardawe

The production stars Morfudd Hughes, Owen Arwyn and Judith Humphreys, and will tour Wales from 4 March to 2 April.

Pontardawe Arts Centre will host the show on 25 March, giving local audiences a rare chance to see a drama rooted in real Welsh history and cultural survival.

Full tour dates

04–05 March – Galeri Caernarfon 07 March – Twm o’r Nant 10 March – Theatr Clwyd 13 March – Theatr Derek Williams 17–18 March – Theatr Arad Goch 19 March – Yr Egin 20 March – Theatr Felinfach 24 March – Theatr Soar 25 March – Pontardawe Arts Centre 26 March – Yr Olwg 28 March – Llanover Hall 01 April – Neuadd Dwyfor 02 April – Pontio

Tickets and more information are available via Galeri Caernarfon: https://www.galericaernarfon.com/eng/ledirwyrcws.html

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Ystyriwch ymateb os ydych chi'n weithiwr proffesiynol treftadaeth yng Nghymru sy'n gweithio gyda data 3D.

Fideo cyflwyno prosiect 3 munud (isdeitlau Cymraeg): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZILDu4HzpTU

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Amused to spot earlier that there is one extra element of guidance for Welsh speakers at Maindy BMX track than there is for English speakers. Monoglot English speakers can disturb neighbouring residents, but Cymros cannot.

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Welsh-speaking inmates report pressure to use English at HMP Berwyn, raising rights concerns

A study based on interviews with eight former Welsh-speaking inmates held at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham between 2018 and 2022 alleges systematic pressure from staff to use English rather than Welsh. The researchers, Dr. Robert Jones and Dr. Gregory Davies from Cardiff and Liverpool universities, describe... [More info]