I hasten to say I didn't watch it all - it's three hours long - but I did skip through and sample questions and answers. What struck me was how intelligent and articulate the questioners were, including the pupils of the school, and how uncomfortable the people on the platform looked. I didn't catch who the moderator was, but he did a very good job but I did notice that he didn't seem to know that Gareth Ratcliffe was a county councillor - Gareth got a good point in about the £1.4million debt that Brecon High School owes, which would be wiped out if Brecon and Gwernyfed were merged.
Several people made good points about the extra time pupils would spend on buses, when the "superschool" was finally built in Brecon, including a lady farmer who lives in a quite remote place. She was very pleased with the education of her eldest son, who now goes to agricultural college, because he had time, despite the long journey to Gwernyfed, to help around the farm (giving him valuable experience) and for extra-curricular activities - but she was very worried about the education of her younger children. And she can't just move closer to the school.
I was also very impressed by the lady - I think she was a member of staff - who pointed out all the problems with the A-level providers from Neath, including the poor student who completed her first year of A-level in Crickhowell, only to find that the second year was available only in Neath! The representative of the A-level provider was not able to give an adequate answer to her.
And then there was the ex-head boy of Gwernyfed, now a local estate agent, who countered the County Council's claims of falling rolls with the information that he knows of plans to build 400 houses in the catchment area of the school - so rolls will inevitably rise as families move to the area.
There's still time to send letters to the County Council about their plans.
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