A village school battling for survival has launched a campaign to safeguard its future by attracting pupils from nearby communities.<\/p>\n
Parents at Ysgol Llannefydd, near Denbigh, say it\u2019s a \u201cbrilliant\u201d Welsh language school that provides an excellent, well-rounded education that sets their children up well for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no imminent threat of closure but there is mounting concern over the drop in pupil numbers in recent years.<\/p>\n
The school roll has fallen to 11 and an automatic consultation process over its future will be triggered if the number of children drops below 10.<\/p>\n
With few local children due to reach school age in the next few years, the parents and governors have joined forces for the drive to recruit youngsters from nearby communities.<\/p>\n
St Asaph and Bodelwyddan are particular targets because, unlike Llannefydd, they don\u2019t have primary schools that can provide an education with Welsh as the first language.<\/p>\n
Among Ysgol Llannefydd\u2019s advantages is the high level of one-to-one attention given to the children with the pupil-teacher ratio likened to that found in private schools.<\/p>\n
Between them, the 11 pupils benefit from having three teachers including headteacher Gari Evans, a classroom assistant, a cook and a caretaker.<\/p>\n
High School teacher Katie Farah, who\u2019s currently on maternity leave, lives in St Asaph and brings her four-year-old son, Abyan, to the school which she describes as \u201cfantastic\u201d.<\/p>\n
Although she doesn\u2019t speak Welsh, she was keen for Abyan to have a Welsh-medium education and little brother, Ashkir, one, will be following in his footsteps when he\u2019s of school age.<\/p>\n
Katie said: \u201cWe appreciate the school because there\u2019s a deep knowledge of every child and they value each child, which has been particularly important during the pandemic because Abyan feels safe when he goes to school<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t speak Welsh at home so one of the advantages is that he\u2019s learning Welsh and getting a bilingual education. That\u2019s just invaluable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pupils receive a full and rounded education, and the environment is one of the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would encourage any parents to come and have a look at Ysgol Llannefydd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if they had the opportunity to connect with the staff here, either online or physically, they would see the gentle care that\u2019s so readily apparent as soon as you walk in school.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a sentiment endorsed by child minder Kate Wright whose three children, Megan, 10, Elwen, eight, and Edryd, five, all attend Ysgol Llannefydd.<\/p>\n
Kate said: \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic school in a wonderful setting and we are really lucky to have it on our doorstep.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that it\u2019s a Welsh language school was really important for us as I\u2019d learnt Welsh in school but as a second language.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough I do work through the medium of Welsh now, it\u2019s taken me a long time to gain that confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy children are fluently bilingual, they can just flip between both languages and that happened within the first couple of years of school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe advantage of them coming to a small school is that they\u2019re like a little family really, so you\u2019ve got the older ones helping the younger ones and it\u2019s just a really lovely environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see them outside of school playing and they take care of each other, and I think that\u2019s an important quality to have wherever you go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also have a really solid education in all subjects and because it\u2019s a smaller school, they get more individual attention. That\u2019s definitely a bonus.\u00a0 It\u2019s private education ratios.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be really nice to attract new families because it\u2019s really important to safeguard the future of this school because it\u2019s a vital community asset.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a strong sense of community here and it would be very sad to see the school closed and lost forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Headteacher Gari Evans, a farmer\u2019s son who hails from the nearby village of Bylchau, was appointed in 2015 and describes the school as an \u201cextended family\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe first-class standard of the teaching and the varied experiences given to the children leads to high educational attainment levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone co-operates fantastically well, and we don\u2019t have any behavioural problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the advantages of the education provided by a small village school like Ysgol Llannefydd is that it\u2019s almost like a private education. The staff-pupil ratio is fantastic but clearly there are no fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first-class standard of teaching allied to the staffing ratio means that the individual needs or every learner are met.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, the amenities are excellent here and the information technology is on a one-to-one basis – everyone has equipment for online learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn top of that, the scenic location is idyllic and there\u2019s plenty of space for outdoor activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, no new houses are being built around here so we need to attract more pupils from outside the village itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t reached the point where the county or the Welsh Government are looking to shut the school but we need to ensure that we prepare for the future and try to attract more pupils from outside the area as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cBodelwyddan and St. Asaph are not too far, around about four miles away so our school is eminently accessible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that Ysgol Llannefydd offers something unique and special and I would be more than happy to speak to any prospective parents and tell them about everything we have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Governor Glesni Owen added: \u201cBoth the Governors and Conwy Local Education Authority are keen for the school to stay open and remain viable for future generations of learners.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, if we see any further reduction in the current numbers, the school will be in an extremely precarious position.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe as the wider community need to act now not only to ensure a more secure future for our school, but also all the other community activities in which the school plays a fundamental part and to ensure they have a future too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Any parents wanting to find out more about Ysgol Llannefydd should contact headteacher Gari Evans either by ringing the school on 01745 540228 or emailing <\/strong>pennaeth@llanefydd.conwy.sch.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n