Gwynedd Council is to forge ahead with proposals to shut a Llŷn primary school which has just ten pupils on the books.

Ysgol Abersoch, which serves pupils aged between three and eight, has a capacity of 34 but only has two nursery and eight full-time children enrolled – despite the village having a full-time population of 783.

But meeting next week, the cabinet will be asked to forge ahead with a statutory consultation over its closure in the summer of 2021, which would see the remaining pupils transferred to Ysgol Sarn Bach.

Pupils already transfer to Ysgol Sarn Bach between school years four and six, with the report noting that the future of Ysgol Abersoch has been “vulnerable for some time,” having halved since 2016 despite running at full capacity during the early 1980s.

But the move has sparked concern locally, with community leaders urging decision makers to delay the process until the Covid-19 pandemic has abated.

Cllr Dewi Wyn Roberts said that one parent was “distraught” upon discovering the report’s findings, going on to claim that the report “makes no reference to the school’s success at all or the hard work of the head teacher and staff over recent years.”

Planning to address the cabinet during next Tuesday’s virtual meeting, Cllr Roberts added: “The report does not really present the developments such as the Mudiad Meithrin and Ti a Fi and the positive impact to the school in the future, or the negative effect it will have on the language, community and culture of the village.

“I do not feel that the report is detailed enough and is therefore misleading.

“I think that continuing with the process under these special circumstances of the COVID pandemic is totally unfair because of the barriers in place regarding meetings and communicating at this time.”

But according to education officers, the school running at 24% capacity is not sustainable, with only a modest increase in pupil numbers being projected – up to 12 by 2022 and 2023.

The school currently employs one full-time headteacher, a part-time teacher, part-time PPA teacher and a part-time assistant, with the school’s cost per pupil of £17,404 vastly greater than the county’s primary average of £4,198.

Finance chiefs believe that closure would realise annual savings of £96,062 even after taking transport costs into consideration.

But officers also rule other options including federalisation and extending the age range of the school to offer 3-11 education, on the basis of impact on other schools and failing to solve the financial woes.

Cllr Cemlyn Williams, the cabinet member for education, said: “It is no easy task to submit this report, but our duty to ensure the best education and experiences for all Gwynedd’s children is at the heart of the request being presented to the Cabinet.

“We have held discussions with the Governing Body and other relevant stakeholders at Ysgol Abersoch. I would like to thank them for their input and passionate commitment in trying to find possible solutions to the challenge of critically low numbers at the school.

“Having thoroughly evaluated these options, and considering the projections that the school’s pupil numbers will remain low, with 10 pupils in the school by 2021, we believe that the situation is not viable for the future.”

If approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, September 15, the formal consultation would start within weeks with any subsequent closure set to be implemented during the summer of 2021.