Powys: 'Smallest school' close to England border to close

Councillors have voted to close the smallest primary school in Powys, in a move some have warned could see students move to schools outside Wales.Powys council announced the closure of the 25-pupil Ysgol Bro Cynllaith in Llansilin from 31 August, with students expected to move to Ysgol Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, about six miles (9.6km) away.But critics said parents could choose to send their children to schools in Oswestry, Shropshire, which is a similar distance away.Ysgol Bro Cynllaith was one of three schools due to close in late 2021, but offered a reprieve as the plans were deemed unfeasible.
Richard Jones, director of education on the council, said the proposal had received 20 objections, adding that the 31 August closure was "preferable" for pupils moving to a new school "so they can move at the start of a new, fresh academic year".Richard Church, also from the council, acknowledged concerns that students could move to schools in England, but questioned whether it "would be right" to make exceptions to keep schools open because they are close to England or another local authority in Wales."I don't believe it is sustainable to continue operating schools of this size - we can't make exceptions," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Sandra Davies, another council member, said she had previously campaigned against school closures in the area, but now had a different view."Having bigger schools does enhance children as individuals - they do thrive, and they are given more opportunities to grow," she said.The council voted unanimously for the school to close.

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Times

6 hours ago

• Times

Top Scottish private school bought by Qatari with links to royal family

​One of Scotland's most prestigious private schools has been bought by the former deputy prime minister of Qatar. Glenalmond College, a Presbyterian boarding school founded in 1847 by William Gladstone, is now in the hands of 35 Education, a company that styles itself as 'a philanthropic education enterprise'. The new owner is a joint venture between Professor Basak Akdemir, a Turkish academic and businesswoman, and Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, who served as deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister and has links to Qatar's royal family. Akdemir said a generous investment would bring Glenalmond 'up to standard' over the next two to three years. There are plans to open a chain of Glenalmond Colleges across the world. The takeover has prompted concern from some people close to the school who take issue with Qatar's human rights record towards women and the LGBT community. Falling roll numbers and the financial difficulties common in the private school sector had made the sudden takeover a 'necessary step', insiders said. Lucy Elphinstone, who has been appointed executive principal of the Glenalmond Schools Group, said: 'Absolutely no parents or staff or anybody has raised any issues whatsoever. And there is no association with his excellency, except that he has given incredibly generously and is president of ­Glenalmond. 'We have on our governing body the primus of the Episcopalian Church and a second bishop, and they have looked into this very carefully and feel there's going to be no influence.' Attiyah, who has also funded 40 scholarships, has been appointed president of the schools group but will not be involved day to day. Elphinstone said that the move might prove to be a model for other fee-paying British schools and she expected more money from the Middle East to be invested in the private system. Other schools, she said, 'would give anything to be in the position we are in'. She added: 'I've had other heads phone me to ask if the professor has a brother or sister who might like​ to invest in my school, and can you introduce me.' A check with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator showed ­Glenalmond College had failed to file its accounts on time. They are nearly two months overdue. Companies House filings show that 35 Education was incorporated on January 6. Akdemir confirmed that the business was set up for the purpose of taking over ­Glenalmond. She is the sole director and has a background in shipping with a speciality in artificial intelligence. Akdemir has been appointed head of the board of directors of the school. A statement from the college in Perth and Kinross, which was built to be 'the Eton of the north', said a new board had been appointed as part of a 'change in personnel'. The school's constitution dictates that a descendant of Gladstone, the four-time prime minister, and the primus of the Scottish Presbyterian Church must sit on the board. Glenalmond is called 'Coll' by the school community. One former governor, who asked not to be named, said: 'I hope this is going to be good for Coll in the long term — these are challenging times for the sector and all new investment is to be welcomed.' They called for 'more openness' over the move and added: 'The investment appears to be coming from an expert in Turkish maritime higher education and a former minister in a repressive government that does not allow free speech and is intolerant of the LGBTQ community. The chair of governors has resigned but nothing is being said about the rest of the governing council. Glenalmond has a proud history; it would be a tragedy if it were to be mired in controversy.' Akdemir said she had been looking for a school to invest in 'for some time' and chose Glenalmond for its history and 'glorious campus'. Elphinstone said: 'The raw material, the canvas of the college, is so wonderful, so glorious, and has such potential. But, as with all schools, over the past decade it's been harder to attract students. Pressure has come upon our ability to be able to develop and expand in the way that all schools are wanting to in terms of their facilities and their provision.' ​Elphinstone highlighted the pressure on private schools following the introduction of VAT on education and boarding fees as well as the rise in national insurance contributions and the loss of business rates relief. These, she said, had made it impossible for 'parents clinging on by their fingernails to give an independent education to their children'. She has offered places to families at schools that have recently announced closure, saying the plight of the UK's fee-paying schools is a 'desperate situation'. Elphinstone, who was headmistress of a school in London where Akdemir sent her daughter, described the takeover's provenance as an 'extraordinary quirk of fate'. She added: 'I didn't realise that her parents felt they owe this great debt of gratitude to my school, and perhaps to me.' Akdemir had spent a year looking for the right school to buy and saw Elphinstone's name on the list of governors of Glenalmond. Elphinstone added: 'It is utterly miraculous. I am a Christian and I do believe this was an act of God … The staff live on campus and with the pupil numbers going down, they were thinking, 'Is it going to be OK?' Now, hopefully for another 178 years at least, the school will flourish.' Miles Briggs, the education spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said the news indicated the pressures caused by Labour's 'misguided' economic policies that are 'failing to bring in the predicted revenue, costing jobs, letting down pupils and placing extra strain on state schools'.

BBC News

7 hours ago

• BBC News

Allied Steel and Wire pension campaigners call for surplus to be used

Pensioners from a plant in Cardiff who lost their pensions when it went bust more than 20 years ago have called for surplus money to be used to compensate from Allied Steel and Wire got 90% of their pensions back, but that has been eroded because payments are not linked to rising of them, John Benson, said "retirement dreams" had been "destroyed" but that using a small portion of a £13bn surplus in the Pension Protection Fund would be enough to fully restore the UK government said it was considering the matter but warned "these are complex matters requiring a balanced approach". Pension protections were strengthened after the Maxwell Scandal, when newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell stole more than £400m from the pension funds of his Mirror newspaper group to prop up his ailing pensioners lost half of what they had paid in. As a result of his action, the Financial Assistance Scheme was set up as a safety net to protect pensioners when the companies they worked for went bust. It was this scheme that helped bail out a group of Welsh workers from Allied Steel and Wire (ASW) in Cardiff who lost out when the company went under in 2002. Although the ASW workers got 90% of their pensions, their value has fallen since that time as they are not linked to rising prices. 'It's destroyed me' Mr Benson, from Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, has led a long campaign asking the government to make up the shortfall, which he said has had dire consequences."It's destroyed retirement dreams. Some colleagues have had to downsize," he said. "One lady who was seriously ill herself couldn't afford a funeral after her husband died, and a couple of months later she died herself. "It's soul destroying. It's destroyed me. "There are some horror stories, too many to tell." Now a cross-party group of Senedd members has written to the prime minister urging him to pay the pensions in full, among them the former Conservative leader in Cardiff Bay Andrew RT Davies."This is a massive injustice that's been inflicted on ASW pension holders and other pension holders across the UK," he said."Through no fault of their own, they've lost their entitlement to a full pension which they paid into, and we believe the system should be corrected and that's why we've signed this letter."It has been revealed that the scheme which replaced the Financial Assistance Scheme, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), has a surplus of £ Benson said paying a tiny amount of that money to him and his fellow pensioners to make up the shortfall would not be a hardship, but would make all the difference to them."This money, this surplus in the PPF, should be paid to restore our pensions in full."They've got a £13bn surplus in the PPF – use it!"Stop making excuses that it's public money – it's our money. This money is meant for us, not other government policies." 'Any hope?' The matter was also raised with Pensions Minister and Swansea West MP Torsten Bell at a meeting of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee earlier this chair Labour MP Debbie Abrahams asked: "I cannot understand the reason for not making a decision to enable them to spend the last few years of their life in some comfort, can you give us any hope around this?"Bell replied: "It does need to be looked at properly."It needs to be considered in the round of those wider impacts, as all public policy matters are, but I am absolutely aware of the issues."I am also aware of the average age of the people that are affected."The best thing I can do is to say that I am aware and I am looking at it, but the public finance implications are more complicated than you set out."In response, concerning its £13bn surplus, the PPF said it deliberately had what it called a reserve to protect it from future claims or in case people live longer than Department for Work and Pensions said it recognised members' incomes may have been eroded in recent years."However, these are complex matters requiring a balanced approach," it said."The government is continuing to consider what we have heard from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme members on this issue."More on this story on BBC Politics Wales at 10:00 BST on Sunday 22 June

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Top headteacher's fury at politicians who 'delight in the demise of independent schools'

The head of one of the largest private schools in the UK has hit out at politicians who 'delight in the demise of independent schools' and says her school makes £45m a year for the Scottish economy. Lisa Kerr, who formerly led King Charles 's old school Gordonstoun, said those driven by their 'ideological beliefs' failed to recognise the massive economic benefits of private schools. Now Principal at prestigious George Watson's College in Edinburgh, where 1 in 4 pupils attend private schools, one of the highest numbers in the UK, said: 'Our school alone contributed £34.8 million in GVA (gross added value) to the Edinburgh economy, supporting 580 jobs in the city. 'Across Scotland, our impact rose to £44.7 million GVA and 680 jobs.' And Ms Kerr, who has previously slammed the government's VAT on fees tax raid as an 'existential threat' for private schools, said: 'The impact on Treasury coffers and state school places is only half the story. 'Those whose motivations are ideological and who delight in the demise of independent schools miss the significant economic impact we have on our communities and the benefits that are at stake as the sector shrinks.' Pointing out the huge savings City of Edinburgh Council had made because of children being educated outside the state sector, she explained: 'By educating nearly 2500 pupils, our school saved the public purse a staggering £18.9m with £15.7m of this directly relating to savings made by City of Edinburgh Council from us educating pupils in this area. 'In addition to the staff we employ directly, the school has a valuable and long term supply chain including catering, construction, engineering and cleaning, some for as long as 25 years.' The Labour-run council has been in the firing line since The Mail on Sunday first revealed its hardline anti private school policies such as charging sick kids on cancer wards at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh £115 an hour for tuition if they went to private schools while state school children received it free. Ms Kerr also warned the huge numbers quitting the independent sector – 'four times the government estimate at 13,000' – would have a devastating impact on the state sector. She said: 'Once numbers are in for the rest of the year, the Treasury sums will be further adrift. The numbers for this flawed policy just don't add up; not only will the government fail to raise the promised income but it will put serious strain on the public purse as more pupils are forced to move to already stretched state schools.' Ms Kerr has previously revealed admissions numbers are dropping at the historic college, originally founded in the 18th century, where fees have risen by up to £19,991 a year because of VAT on school fees. And she warned local partnerships which had delivered 'significant positive social impact' including work with the Edinburgh Food Project, an HIV education project and work with local primary schools were now under threat. 'As admissions and pupil numbers fall due to the introduction of the politically driven education tax, these benefits are at significant risk. This will not only damage Edinburgh's economy but will also increase the taxpayer burden. 'It is time for the government to go back to the calculator, be honest about the actual benefits that any school will ever see and to rethink this policy.' The UK Government has repeatedly defended its stance, stating that ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8billion a year by 2029/30, to be spent 'supporting the 94 per cent of children in state schools'.