Ysgol Y Garreg Primary School in Garreg is set to close on 31 August after Cyngor Gwynedd’s cabinet voted unanimously to shut it, ending more than a century of service to the area. Only two pupils remain, both in Year six, and the school has no children in nursery, reception or years one to five.

The decision matters now because those two pupils are due to move on to secondary school in September, leaving the community without a primary school that has long been part of daily life in Gwynedd. The council said falling pupil numbers across the local authority made the closure unavoidable, and the timetable means the school will remain open only until the end of the summer term.

Dewi Jones said the proposal was one of the most difficult decisions he had faced, adding that nobody goes into education in order to close schools. He said the ambition was to see schools thriving, children succeeding and communities staying strong, but also said the demographic challenges facing some rural communities are real. He added that, however painful it is to acknowledge, the seriousness of the situation at Ysgol Y Garreg could not be ignored.

That is what gives the decision its force. Cyngor Gwynedd described the closure as unavoidable even though Ysgol Y Garreg had served the area faithfully for over a century, and June Jones called it sad, saying it had been a key part of the community for over a century. There is also uncertainty at the edge of the story: the council has said the two remaining Year six pupils will start secondary school in September, but it has not specified where they will go.

Dilwyn Morgan said there might be more opportunities for the children moving to a larger school, where the Welsh language would be a more natural part of their lives. For Ysgol Y Garreg, the practical end is now fixed. For the two pupils left behind, the next chapter begins in September, even if the destination has still not been named.