Parents are gearing up to protest outside County Hall today (Thursday) in the wake of controversial proposals to reorganise secondary school education in Pembrokeshire.

An extraordinary meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council is being held at 9am to discuss a major shake-up of secondary and Welsh-medium education, involving the potential closure of several county schools.

The potential closures follow a review at the beginning of last year, with preliminary consultations on the future of secondary education in the Haverfordwest area and the future of education in the St Davids area.

Proposals to merge Ysgol Dewi Sant with Ysgol bro Gwaun on the Fishguard site have provoked widespread criticism from staff and parents in St Davids. At a packed public meeting at St Davids City Hall on Monday the proposals were called “devastating” and a “disgrace”.

A preliminary consultation was also launched on Welsh medium education in Pembrokeshire in the autumn.

All consultations presented multiple options on the way forward and included public meetings across the county.

A preferred option has been recommended by the Director for Children and Schools, Kate Evan-Hughes.

The preferred option is to: • Discontinue Sir Thomas Picton School and Tasker Milward VC School and establish a new 11-16 English medium secondary school with additional ALN (alternative learning needs) provision for pupils with complex learning needs, on the site of the current Sir Thomas Picton school.

Post 16 provision to be provided in a new integrated sixth form centre as part of a formal collaboration between the County Council and Pembrokeshire College, subject to formal governance arrangements being agreed.

• Discontinue Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Ysgol Dewi Sant schools and establish a new 11-16 English medium (with significant use of Welsh) secondary school with ALN provision for pupils with complex learning needs on the site of the current Ysgol Bro Gwaun school.

Post 16 provision to be provided in a new integrated sixth form centre as part of a formal collaboration between the County Council and Pembrokeshire College, subject to formal governance arrangements being agreed.

• Discontinue Ysgol Gymraeg Glan Cleddau and establish a new 3-16 Welsh medium/ bilingual school on the site of the current Tasker Milward VC School. Post 16 provision to be provided at Ysgol y Preseli.

Welsh language campaigners will also be joining in the protest outside County Hall.

Bethan Williams, field officer for Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Dyfed said: “While it is encouraging that the council will increase Welsh provision by opening a 3 to 16 school in Haverfordwest, we want to know what will be the capacity of the school - will it be big enough from the beginning?

“There is also the question why there is no provision for the sixth form as part of the recommendations. Why would pupils who have received their whole primary and secondary education in the Haverfordwest area then choose to go all the way to Ysgol y Preseli instead of Pembrokeshire College?

“We also encourage members to reject the euphemism that a new school will be established through amalgamating Ysgol Dewi Sant and Ysgol Bro Gwaun. In all but legal terms it is simply the closure of Ysgol Dewi Sant which will be a severe blow for the local economy.”