EDUCATION bosses have hit back at claims primary school closures across South Ceredigion are a "done deal".

The area is facing a huge change with proposed plans to close up to six primary schools around Llandysul and the secondary school Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi.

If the new plans are agreed, these would be replaced by a new super-school for children aged from three up to 19 years old.

Ceredigion Council said this week that a 400-name petition handed in by concerned parents was "a very premature objection".

A statement issued by the authority said: "The feasibility study has not been finalised and no decision has been made on the way forward in the Llandysul area.

"The feasibility study team has been conducting a large number of consultation meetings around both the Tregaron and Llandysul areas to obtain evidence and gather opinions based on the three to 19 years concept. This petition is clearly pre-empting the conclusions of the team before receiving and considering the evidence collated within the report.

"This report will allow elected county councillors to make an informed decision specifically about this particular option."

The petition had been organised by Welsh language campaigners Cymdeithas yr Iaith, who fear the proposals will strike at the heart of rural village life.

Campaigner Angharad Clwyd, herself a parent of a child at Ysgol Gynradd Llandysul, said: "The size of the opposition is obvious from the number of people who have signed these petitions."

The group is calling on the authority to look at alternative options first, such as keeping a primary school in Llandysul itself. The council has stressed that these alternative schemes are still on the table.

The statement from Ceredigion Council added: "The Strategic Development Plan approved by Ceredigion Council last year lists a range of options that need careful consideration before any final decisions can be made in relation to the future educational provision both in the Llandysul and Tregaron areas."