This paper explores perceptions held by community members regarding the effect that closing a small school might have on its pupils and the surrounding community. It focuses on recent proposals to close a number of small schools in rural Wales and the reactions of local community members to the proposed changes. Key issues amongst those opposed to recent closure proposals are identified from interview and documentary evidence. These include perceptions of community-linked advantages of the smaller school and concerns over damage to school-village interaction through closure of the local school which is often seen as being 'at the heart of the community'. In terms of advantages it is argued that the close links the school frequently has with its community often serves to enrich the curriculum provided. Parent organisations and similar support organisations are seen as being often more active, providing comparatively more resources for the school with proportionately more parental/community involvement. Concern over the loss of the school is centred on the negative impact on its community in terms of losing a focus for community activity and relationships, the loss of support for the local economy and the break down of community networks. In some cases schools being proposed for merger are seen as having quite different cultures, with differences in faith or language being seen as issues for concern. There is also a perception amongst some that a loss of identity or of a sense of belonging may occur amongst children from the small communities. The paper goes on to characterise the degree of school-community involvement in a sample of schools through a set of criteria drawn from the literature and including: - - the level of participation of local community and groups in the day to day life of the school - the extent to which school resources are used by the community - the range and scale of joint school-community activities - the use of innovative ideas in school community links - the ways in which the school acts as a focus for the community - the extent to which it provides a local identity for the pupils - the ways in which it is able to make contributions to rural sustainability - the benefits to the school of being in the community - the wider benefits to the community (for example in terms of village vitality and extending community networks) - the way the interaction helps in creating and sharing of knowledge of the community - the extent to which the school contributes to improving quality of life in the community environment The degree to which the different schools can be considered to be embedded in their respective communities is gauged using these criteria and links between the extent of resistance to change and the degree to which schools appear to be embedded in their respective communities are discussed.The paper goes on to examine the perceptions held by community members in situations where school closures have taken place followed by the establishment of an area school in their place. The views of those who have experienced closure and school amalgamation are compared with the views expressed at the time of change (from documentary and interview evidence) with those whose schools are now facing closure with a view to establishing the extent to which initial perceptions have been realised.