Angry parents have organised a public meeting after they were told a sixth form would not be opening at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni’s Y Gwyndy campus in Caerphilly town.
The site, on Pontygwindy Road, was redeveloped at a cost of £20 million and is also home to Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili.
The idea behind its creation was to meet increasing demand for Welsh language education in the Caerphilly basin for children aged between three and 16.
Post-16 education was to be provided for at Cwm Rhymni’s Gellihaf site near Fleur-De-Lis – although there was always the intention to develop some sixth form provision at Y Gwyndy – as outlined in Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Welsh medium education strategy published in 2014.
Y Gwyndy took its first intake of 85 Year 7 pupils in 2013 and they are now looking at options for life after GCSEs.
Parents of those pupils had thought that a sixth form would be established for them, but were told in an email in November last year that there were not enough pupils.
Bethan Llewellyn’s 15-year-old son Dylan is preparing to do his final GCSEs this summer and wants to stay on Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni.
Ms Llewellyn said: “We were told it was going to be a ‘super school’ for ages three to 18.
“We were always told it was going to happen, so for the last five years we thought it was – until we got the email out of the blue.
“I was devastated. Our children were the first year group at that school and they had to put up with a lot for the first few years as the school was still being finished.
“They were the guinea pigs and now it feels like they are being kicked out.”
Parents have expressed concern that pupils not familiar with the Gellihaf site would rather go to college and end their Welsh medium education.
This was echoed by Cllr James Pritchard, who represents the Morgan Jones ward for Labour.
He said: “That is a concern for me because we are supposed to be encouraging Welsh language education. From what I’m hearing, pupils won’t be going to Gellihaf.
“We need to have a Welsh language sixth form in Caerphilly town. I call on the school to develop sixth form provision at the Y Gwyndy site from 2018/19 to support the growth of the Welsh language in the Caerphilly basin.”
Cllr Pritchard, together with Caerphilly AM Hefin David are backing parents’ call for a sixth form to be introduced at the Y Gwyndy site.
A spokesman for Caerphilly County B roughorough Council said: “The school is currently considering options for post 16 Welsh medium education at the Y Gwyndy site in line with the provision available in other schools across the county borough.”
• A public meeting to discuss the issue will be held at Caerphilly RFC at Virginia Park on January 29 at 7pm.