THE hunt is on for a site for a Welsh-medium secondary school in Gwent.

Demand for places means that in three years time pupils in some of Welsh primary schools in Blaenau Gwent, Newport, Monmouthshire and Torfaen will not have a secondary school to attend.

Newport council has revealed that a regional planning group is currently looking at site options for the provision of Welsh medium education in the region.

A response to a councillor says all secondary school sites are part of the scoping exercise.

Gwent’s only Welsh medium school, outside of Caerphilly county, Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw is expected to be oversubscribed by 2017.

A consortium of Gwent councils is in talks with the Welsh Government on how to proceed.

Cllr David Fouweather asked cabinet member for education and young people, Cllr Bob Poole, if Newport had a strategic plan for Welsh education and whether it would be ready to be sent to the Welsh Government by December.

It is thought the Welsh Government is expecting every local authority to have one ready by that date.

Cllr Fouweather was told that the council’s Welsh education forum had met to discuss the plan, which will include work by the regional planning group on Welsh-medium secondary education.

He was told that the regional planning group is scoping site options across all authorities.

“All secondary school sites are part of the scoping exercise,” stated Cllr Poole in his response to Cllr Fouweather.

Cllr Fouweather expressed scepticism, regarding Cllr Poole’s answer, stating: “It’s a holding reply.”

Caerleon parent Rhiannon North, 37, has previously called for action on the issue.

Her two children, Tomi, 3, and Sam, 7, go to Ysgol Ifor Hael in Bettws.

“I certainly haven’t taken a big sigh of relief. I’m concerned on many levels. It’s taken them so long to respond at all,” she said.

She said a new school should ideally be sited in Newport: “The shocking thing is that Newport is a city and we don’t have a Welsh language comprehensive.”

Ms North feared that using an English language school site could prove divisive with parents whose children would be moved.