My name is Charlotte and I am a parent of a pupil at Ysgol Llansteffan. Please take a moment to read the information below and support the parents and children of the school if you can. Every donation — no matter how small or how large — will mean more than you can ever imagine. Your help could make the difference between losing our school forever or giving our children the future they deserve.

Time is critical – we have until 23rd December to act.

Carmarthenshire County Council issued the statutory notice on Tuesday 25 November 2025, thereby commencing the 28-day objection period. This is the final stage of the process – and unless we act now, our community could lose its school forever.

We are launching this legal fund to secure specialist education law support to challenge the proposal, ensure the process has been followed lawfully, and protect the rights of our children, families, Welsh language and heritage and community.

Why do we need legal help?

There are serious concerns about:

• Outdated and incomplete pupil data being used to justify the closure

• Contradictions over school capacity at the receiving school

• Impact on Welsh-medium provision

• Lack of clarity around ALN needs

• The fairness and legality of using Section 28

• The wider educational, community and language impact

A specialist solicitor can review the proposal, identify procedural flaws, guide objections, and—if needed—take further legal action on behalf of families.

Why fundraising?

This legal challenge has to be funded directly by parents. We are a small school community and cannot meet the costs alone, which is why we are asking for support from the wider community — people in Wales, the UK and beyond.

We have already identified a specialist solicitor who is able to help, but we are working within very tight time constraints, and urgent funds are needed to secure their support. We need to submit our documents to the solicitor within the next week, so early donations are crucial. Every contribution — large or small — will help us act quickly within the 28-day statutory objection window.

This is about more than a school!

Ysgol Llansteffan is the beating heart of our village — a pillar of our heritage, our Welsh language, and our community identity. It is not just a place of learning, but a place where children are genuinely known, loved and supported. The school provides a nurturing, family centred environment where every child is seen and valued, and where they thrive academically, emotionally and socially.

Its exceptional location is a gift that few schools can offer. Set between the coastline, woodland and castle, the school delivers a rich, meaningful curriculum rooted in the natural world and in the history of our village. Children learn on the beach, in the woodland, and through the landscape that has shaped generations before them. This setting is not just beautiful — it is educationally powerful and utterly irreplaceable.

Ysgol Llansteffan is also a sanctuary for children who struggle in larger, noisier environments. Here, they feel safe, settled and supported — able to learn without overwhelm, anxiety or sensory overload. In this small, nurturing setting, these children don’t just cope; they thrive.

The school is also a vital part of our Welsh language ecosystem. Removing a Welsh medium school from a rural coastal community weakens the language at its roots — in the homes, the playgrounds, the conversations and the culture that sustain it daily. Once a Welsh medium school is taken out of a village like ours, the opportunity for children to live and learn through the language in their own community is lost. It is a setback not only for us, but for the future of Welsh in this area.

Ysgol Llansteffan is a place where children grow in confidence, curiosity and connection. It is a place of stability, belonging and safety. Schools like this are rare. Communities like this are rare.

Once a school like ours is gone, it is gone forever — and it will never return. The loss is permanent. The damage is permanent. Closing it would tear out a part of Llansteffan’s soul and rob future generations of what we still have the chance to protect today.

How the funds will be used

All money will go directly towards:

• Specialist education law solicitor fees

• Reviewing the proposal

• Preparing legal advice and documents

• Any steps needed to challenge the closure lawfully

(Any surplus will either support continued legal action or be held transparently for future school-protection costs)

Please support us

Even if you have never visited Ysgol Llansteffan, your support can make a real difference. This is about fairness, children’s rights, rural communities, and protecting Welsh-medium education. It is about standing up for what is right — making sure that small communities are not quietly erased and that children are not disadvantaged because of where they live.

If you believe in protecting local schools…

If you believe in keeping communities alive…

If you believe that children deserve stability, nurture and a fair chance…

If you believe the Welsh language should thrive in every corner of Wales…

Then please donate and share. Your contribution, no matter the size, helps us fight a decision that will have permanent consequences for children and for this community.

We only have 28 days. Time is of the essence.

Help us fight for our school. Help us protect our children’s future, our village, and the Welsh language for generations to come.

Diolch o galon.