A mother whose 11-year-old son is one of just two pupils at a village primary school has branded the decision to close it 'disgusting' as she said her son is receiving 'the best education' he's ever had.

Each student at Ysgol Y Garreg school in the tiny hamlet of Llanfrothen, in Gwynedd, north Wales, is costing authorities £21,000 to educate - triple the county average - after its pupil numbers dwindled by almost 90 percent from 17 a year ago.  

Speaking to the Daily Mail at her home, 50-year-old Sharon Morgan said Britain's smallest school should be kept open, after the Plaid Cymru-controlled council made the 'painful' decision to shut it.

'I'm disgusted with it,' Ms Morgan said. Her 11-year-old son is one of two Year 6 children at Ysgol Y Garreg, which has been serving the local community for 143 years. 

With them the only students and no new pupils set to be enrolled, if it were to open in September it would have a pupil roll of zero.

Currently, for just two students, Ysgol Y Garreg employs an interim headteacher who is responsible for two schools, a full-time teacher and a temporary assistant, as well as catering and cleaning staff. 

The average cost to educate each pupil is £21,471, compared to a county average of £5,998.

Ysgol Cefn Coch, which has around 40 pupils, is just two miles away and will now become the designated alternative school. 

Declining school rolls at rural village schools is an issue affecting many communities in tourist hotspots such as Gwynedd. 

The council has pointed to fewer children living in the area, while parents blame a lack of 'wraparound' childcare such as an after-school club for the declining numbers. 

The county saw 1,500 fewer children under 16 recorded in the 2021 census compared to 2011. 

Meanwhile Gwynedd is home to Wales' largest proportion of second homes, with Llanfrothen located just a stone's throw from bustling tourist destinations Porthmadog and Portmeirion.

In 2023-2024, almost one in ten properties - 8.3 percent - in the county were second homes, while popular visitor towns such as Porthmadog can see its population double during the summer holidays as Brits travel from around the country to holiday in Wales.

In Llanfrothen there are around 150 properties, with more than 30 of these identified as second homes - a rate closer to 20 percent. 

But despite the school facing an intake of zero this year, Ms Morgan believes the council should have done more to save it.

She said: 'Half of the council staff don't even work in the office. Why don't they sell their big HQs? They have an empty car park in Caernarfon which is a waste of money.

'My son has learned more in the last year than he's ever done in his life. He's having the best education. The school has been brilliant.'

Ms Morgan, who doesn't drive and instead uses buses, said: 'I wanted a better future for my children, that's why I came here.

'The closure will damage the village. We should support where we live.'

One of the problems faced by working families has been the lack of 'wraparound' childcare at Ysgol Y Garreg, with no after-school provision. 

The qualified nursery assistant said she'd offered to open an after-school club but this had been rejected by the council.

A report to Plaid Cymru-controlled Gwynedd council said no opposition had been received within the objection period, and that due to the school having fewer than 10 pupils no official consultation was required ahead of closure. 

The rural community has a population of about 400. But many families have already chosen to send their children elsewhere to be educated as pupil numbers fell.

The school has capacity for 41 pupils from reception age to year six. 

Notes in Welsh outside the school include one from a child expressing sadness at the closure and urging an official to talk to them.

Neighbour Ken Smith said: 'Numbers have gone down and down. There's sadness it's closed. It was once a vibrant school.

'I've loved living next door. They were nice kids. There was always singing and [playing] music.'

Ann Smith added at their home: 'We are sorry to see it go. We have loved having the kids next door. It's so quiet now.'

Mother Lisa Piggon, 54, said: 'There's sadness it's closing. It's been an absolutely fantastic little school, it was just so lovely.'

She added some parents had decided not to send their children to the school because of the decline in the number of pupils and lack of wraparound childcare. She said: 'It made it harder for working parents. It's a sad loss for the village.'

Bridget Mulholland, 37, said: 'It was a great school. The children had sports and concerts and a normal school environment. It's just gone too quiet now.'

Ysgol Y Garreg's only pupils were in year six – destined for secondary school in September. In January last year there were 17 pupils.

Councillors recognised that the 'seriousness of the situation meant the school simply could not go on'. 

The council report said the remaining pupils 'expressed their sadness that the school would be closing. They noted that they were happy at Ysgol Y Garreg and had learnt many things at the school.

'One of the learners invited the Head of Education to the school, so that he could speak to them.'

At its last inspection, the school was described by Welsh regulator Estyn as 'a homely and inclusive school that promotes pupils’ Welshness and well-being effectively'.

Cabinet members in Cyngor Gwynedd, north Wales, voted unanimously to close the school on August 31.

Dewi Jones, cabinet member for education, said: 'Nobody goes into education in order to close schools.

'Our ambition is to see schools thriving, children succeeding and communities staying strong.'

Mr Jones said closing the school had been incredibly 'difficult' and paid tribute to the staff, governors, and parents for serving the community for more than half a century.

'The demographic challenges facing some of our rural communities are real,' he said.

'However painful it is to acknowledge that, we cannot ignore the facts before us, and in the specific position of Ysgol Y Garreg, it is impossible to ignore the seriousness of the situation.

'This is not a decision the cabinet wants to make, but it's a decision that certain circumstances have led us to.'