ONE of the region's biggest public meetings of recent memory saw a crowd topping 1,000 tell councillors to keep a much-loved school open.

Gwernyfed High pupils and parents were joined by hundreds of residents from the villages near Hay-on-Wye to voice their concerns about a plan to close the school and transfer its students to Brecon.

The vast majority called for the plans to be scrapped and told councillors that the reasons for closure were seriously flawed.

If plans to close the Three Cocks School and sixth form go-ahead, it is thought that students will chose to study in Herefordshire instead of travelling to Brecon.

Despite the school making 'sufficient progress' in a recent monitoring report and having a balanced budget, Powys County Council (PCC) are pressing ahead with its consultation on closing the school by 2019/20 and replacing it with a new £50 million school in Brecon.

Ian Charlesworth, chair of governors at Gwernyfed, called the plans 'preposterous'. He added that those in attendance at last Wednesday night's meeting received 'no answers'.

"No one came away from that meeting convinced that they had been listened to," he said.

"Most were furious that the elected members who will make the final decision did not answer a single question."

Under the proposals the sixth form provision at the school would be closed from September 2017 with pupils given the option to study at the "Neath Port Talbot College" campus in Brecon.

It is feared that if plans are implemented pupils could spend two hours a day travelling to and from the new school.

Mr Charlesworth added: "The panel came to tell us that falling numbers across Powys mean they have to close our school – but primary schools in our catchment still awaiting modernisation more than five years after it was promised are bursting at the seams. Where will those children be educated?

"They said the move was also prompted by falling standards - but had to agree that standards are high in Gwernyfed.

"They tried to tell us that this would solve our financial problems and then admitted that we didn't have any and that it was Brecon's enormous debt that would be paid off at the tax payers' expense when the schools closed.

"They came to tell us that the buildings are old but, as one young questioner reminded them, some of the best schools in the country are in old buildings.

"We asked them about the time children would spend on buses, the impact on local businesses, what they were prepared to do to save the local sports clubs and arts groups that would wither and die without access to the facilities at Gwernyfed and when the children's lives were centred on Brecon."

In response, Councillor Arwel Jones, Cabinet Member responsible for schools, said: “I can assure Mr Charlesworth that we are listening to all respondents as we progress through this consultation. All of the issues raised in the meetings we have held will be considered at the end of the process.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed so far and urge anyone who has not already responded to do so before the May 23 deadline."

Consultation documents and questionnaires can be accessed via www.powys.gov.uk/haveyoursay or by ringing 01597 826954.

More information on the campaign to save Gwernyfed High School is available on the school's website.