GRADINGS given to school buildings in one part of Gwent may not accurately reflect their poor condition it has been claimed. 

Schools are graded, for their condition, from ‘A' which is “as new” to the lowest grade ‘D’, for buildings that are “inoperable or at serious risk of major failure or breakdown”.

An ‘A’ to ‘D’ grading is also awarded for suitability with those at the top having “good facilities suitable for teaching, learning and wellbeing in school” and the bottom category judged as “bad, that buildings seriously inhibit the staff’s ability to deliver the curriculum.” 

But the gradings were questioned by John Cunningham, a former Torfaen borough councillor who now sits as an independent member of the council’s education scrutiny committee, who insisted some schools should be at the bottom of the system drawn up under Welsh Government guidance. 

It was confirmed at the committee’s Thursday, October 10 meeting Torfaen has no schools in the bottom category and Mr Cunningham said: “It would be interesting to know why some schools in a very poor condition are not in category D? If you look at the criteria they fit into that. 

“We don’t know how they’ve determined who gets the money. They say it’s a robust approach. I think it’s on personal officer preference.” 

Mr Cunningham claimed St Albans Roman Catholic High School, in Pontypool, had only stayed open due to the intervention of the Welsh Government and officers would have been content for pupils to attend other schools, despite, he said, closure being unacceptable to local politicians.

The committee report stated £1.2m had been received in emergency funding from the Welsh Government in 2022/23 and a further £444,239 in 2023/24 for urgent repairs and maintenance at St Albans. 

Maintenance for council maintained schools is covered by a ‘green book’ that sets out whether repairs are the school or the council’s responsibility and a ‘purple book’ dictates funding for church schools which are responsible for their own maintenance costs. 

In Torfaen eight schools are at grade ‘A’ for their condition, and the same number in the ‘suitability’ category, with 11 judged at grade ‘B’ for condition (16 on suitability) and 12 in grade ‘C’ (seven on suitability). 

When the committee considered the council’s future school building programme in May it heard concerns over the condition of St Albans and Mr Cunningham said West Mon School, also in Pontypool, is also in a poor condition. 

He said: “West Mon and St Albans do not fit into category C, they should be in category D. There seems to be too many (schools) in category C and not enough in category D. 

Committee chair, Fairwater Labour councillor Rose Seabourne, said: “I think we need to highlight it at the budget forum, the state of our school buildings.” 

The committee also raised concerns how the council categorises schools as some with blocks in a poor condition may be graded higher due to other parts of the school in a better condition.

Officers said funding for maintenance is allocated on a priority basis with most urgent works and health safety at the top of the list. The council had an initial maintenance budget for schools of £460,000 this year and has received an extra £693,454 from the Welsh Government for the current financial year. 

The authority has allocated £5m for maintenance over five years but this covers all council buildings not just schools.