Independent review finds Llanidloes High School acted within Welsh guidance as secular campaigners call for stronger safeguards

POWYS COUNTY COUNCIL has said it will take no further action against Llanidloes High School after an independent fact-finding exercise concluded the school is operating within relevant legislation and Welsh Government guidance.

The review was commissioned after concerns were raised about the alleged promotion of evangelical Christianity and creationist messages at the community school.

According to the council, the exercise found the school was compliant with current guidance. While it identified some areas of practice for the school to consider and review internally, the council said no further action was necessary.

The decision follows complaints raised by the National Secular Society (NSS), which said it had uncovered evidence that headteacher Dan Owen was attempting to convert pupils to Christianity.

The NSS said its concerns included school displays featuring Bible quotations alongside science and geography themes, giving pupils school planners containing biblical “advice”, and holding assemblies which promoted Christianity.

Among the examples cited were wall displays featuring marine life and the solar system alongside quotations from the Bible. The NSS claimed the displays were paid for using school funds and were described by a source as “very expensive”.

The NSS also alleged that evangelistic material had been used in school activity and assembly content, including references to the Alpha course and a lunchtime club linked to it. It further raised concerns about an advice page in school planners covering issues such as suicide, sex and abuse using only Bible verses, without signposting professional sources of support.

Powys County Council said the fact-finding exercise found no evidence that creationism was taught in science lessons, and no evidence of evangelisation or inappropriate promotion of Christianity.

The NSS criticised the outcome, saying it raises “serious questions” about current guidance on religion in schools in Wales. The organisation argues that protections for non-faith community schools are too weak and has called for stronger safeguards to prevent schools being used to promote the personal beliefs of those in charge.

In Wales, maintained schools are generally required to provide a daily act of collective worship, which is broadly Christian in character unless exemptions apply, and parents have the right to withdraw their children.

PETITION calls for ring fenced protection for physical education as schools face a widening funding gap with England

A WELSH education campaigner is calling for urgent reform after new analysis claimed pupils in Wales are hundreds of millions of pounds worse off than their counterparts in England, with Physical Education among the areas most at risk.

Nick Clement, founder of Confident Healthy Active Me CIC, has launched a petition to the Senedd calling for PE to be ring fenced within the Welsh curriculum, amid concerns that many children are missing out on regular, structured physical activity in school.

“PE is disappearing from many Welsh schools. Some children go weeks without structured physical activity. We would not accept this in literacy or numeracy and we should not accept it in PE either,” he said.

The campaign says Welsh schools are now more than £16,000 worse off per school than those in England, arguing that changes to curriculum funding and the absence of ring fenced support have left schools struggling to protect PE time.

In England, the government provides £320 million annually through the PE and Sport Premium, supporting structured PE delivery and staff training. Campaigners say Wales has no equivalent programme and no statutory requirement for the amount of PE time delivered in primary schools.

The group claims that around 45,000 children in Wales are in schools with little or no weekly PE provision.

Children deserve better

Confident Healthy Active Me CIC delivers free Active Assemblies to primary schools across Wales, aiming to help children build physical confidence and develop healthy habits through inclusive movement sessions. The organisation also works with Flying Start settings, supporting two and three year olds and their families through early years physical literacy and movement based learning.

The sessions combine exercise, storytelling and wellbeing themes, with the campaign arguing that regular movement supports children’s focus, behaviour and mental health, as well as long term physical wellbeing.

“We see daily how movement supports children’s focus, behaviour, and mental health. Yet PE remains optional, underfunded, and undervalued in Wales,” Clement said.

Senedd petition

The petition urges the Welsh Government to ring fence PE in the curriculum and protect delivery in schools. The campaign is asking supporters to help reach 10,000 signatures, which would trigger consideration of a formal debate in the Senedd.

The petition is available online at: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246825

“If PE isn’t protected now, we risk a generation growing up inactive, unhealthy, and disconnected from movement. Wales cannot afford to fall further behind,” Clement said.

Images showcasing the group’s programmes and Active Assemblies are available on request.

Officers work with learners on personal safety and online awareness at alternative provision setting

POLICE officers from Dyfed-Powys Police have visited Cherry Grove Learning Centre in Pembrokeshire as part of a programme aimed at supporting learner wellbeing, personal safety, and online awareness.

The visit saw PC Morris and PCSO Griffiths, from Haverfordwest Police Station, working directly with pupils in sessions described by the centre as calm, supportive, and age-appropriate. Topics covered included staying safe in the community, recognising online risks, and understanding who to turn to if something does not feel right.

Cherry Grove, which provides alternative education for learners who find mainstream school environments challenging, said safeguarding and wellbeing remain central to its approach. The centre stressed that it is non-faith-based and does not promote political or religious beliefs, focusing instead on creating a safe and inclusive learning environment.

The police engagement comes against a backdrop of increased scrutiny of alternative provision across Pembrokeshire and Wales more widely, with recent inspections and council reviews highlighting the importance of strong safeguarding arrangements, clear governance, and external partnership working.

Education and safeguarding experts have repeatedly emphasised the role of community-based support, including liaison with police and youth services, in helping vulnerable learners build confidence and make positive choices.

Cherry Grove thanked the officers for their time and support, saying the sessions were designed to help learners feel reassured, informed, and supported both inside and outside the classroom.