Ysgol Blaenau has earned itself a major national award in the face of tackling the threat of closure.

Ffrindiau Ysgol Blaenau PFTA has been crowned winner of the new PTA of the Year Award by national charity Parentkind.

“This is great news for the school as the PFTA was formed at an extremely challenging time with the school dealing with the pressure of the pandemic alongside the threat of school closure,” said chairman of governors, Jason Edwards.

“This group of parents, teachers and the wider community has shown incredible determination and support for the school and truly showcases some remarkable individuals who have shown their children to always fight for what they believe in.”

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In November 2020, Carmarthenshire County Council announced it would be closing the small rural school which has just 36 pupils.

A group of parents worked tirelessly on a business plan that was submitted to the local authority outlining how the school could become more financially sustainable.

One element of the business plan was forming a PTFA in order to support the school in raising funds for extras to enhance the children's experiences.

In December 2021 the local authority announced that having considered the arguments put forward, it had decided to keep the school open.

Now Ysgol Blaenau has 47 pupils, many having transferred over since confirmation that it will remain open.

Parentkind is a national charity that gives those with a parenting role a voice in education.

They invest substantial resources in representing parents’ views on their child’s learning to local, regional and national governments because evidence proves that parental participation in education benefits all children in schools and society as a whole.

Parentkind acts as host to a network of the UK’s PTA fundraisers, bringing specialist fundraising support and advice to parent volunteers so that every school can benefit from a successful PTA.

Its 13,000 PTA members raise over £120 million per year, placing them among some of the biggest charities in the UK.