Gwynedd primary school with two pupils to close in summer

A primary school with just two pupils is to close at the end of the summer term. Ysgol Y Garreg in Garreg, Gwynedd, currently has no pupils in nursery, reception or years one to five. Its remaining two Year six pupils are due to start secondary school in September. Cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet voted unanimously to close the school on 31 August, saying it could not ignore the "seriousness of the situation". The council said falling pupil numbers across the local authority had made the decision unavoidable, despite the school's long history at the heart of the community. Dewi Jones, cabinet member for education, said the proposal was one of the most difficult decisions he had faced. "Nobody goes into education in order to close schools," he said. "Our ambition is to see schools thriving, children succeeding and communities staying strong." He paid tribute to the staff, governors, parents and community, saying Ysgol Y Garreg had served the area faithfully for over a century. But he said the council had a responsibility to consider the current situation facing the school. "The demographic challenges facing some of our rural communities are real," he said. "However painful it is to acknowle