Britain’s smallest primary school with only two pupils closes its doors for good after more than 100 years

THE smallest primary school in Britain has officially closed its doors today. As the summer holidays draw to a close, so has the many years of operation of this historic school. Britain’s smallest school has closed its doors for the last time Credit: Google Maps The school in North Wales has taught pupils for over a century, but only had two students for the last academic year Credit: Google Maps Described as “a key part of the community”, Ysgol Y Garreg school, located in Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales, has shut its doors today (Monday, August 31) after 100 years. The closure comes as the primary school’s remaining two pupils prepare to enter secondary level. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It comes after increasingly high costs saw enrollment at the school plummet, with a 90 per cent drop off in the past two years. Education of one student in the tiny school was most recently recorded as costing £21,471, which is over three times higher than the nationwide average of £5,998. As a result of the costs, the primary school was left with no pupils in nursery, reception, and year one to year five. No pupils signed up to enroll at Ysgol Y Garreg for this academic year, leaving the school empty. Despite the school’s century of heritage in the Welsh village, cabinet members in Cyngor Gwynedd voted unanimously to shut its doors. “Nobody goes into education in order to close schools,” said member for for education, Dewi Jones. Most read in The Sun “Our ambition is to see schools thriving, children succeeding, and communities staying strong. “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.” He added that the cabinet was reluctant to make the decision but “certain circumstances have led us to”. Dewi also thanked the staff, governors, parents, and the community for dedicating themselves to Ysgol Y Garreg over the decades. Councillor June Jones also spoke on the closure, calling it “a very sad situation”. “The school has been there, I think, for about 143 years, and has provided excellent education for the children of the area”, she said. Children in the catchment area will now be educated in the nearby Ysgol Cefn Coch, which currently has around 40 pupils. Comment now