OVER the last year the list of schools earmarked for closure in Gwent has grown as local authorities grapple with the problem of falling numbers of pupils.

But for staff, parents and children, the value of a school cannot be measured in financial terms because for many it plays such an important part in their lives and is at the heart of the community.

Mum Nicola Davies had an extreme reaction when she first heard St David Lewis RC School in Bettws, Newport, where her six-year-old son Jack is a pupil, was likely to shut.

"I just felt panic - that is the only way I can explain it," said Mrs Davies. "What is worse is that in Bettws we are looking at two school closures not just one. We won't have any choice in our children's education except to send them off the estate or to a 'super-school'."

Last year Newport council revealed proposals for uniting Monnow and Millbrook Junior Schools on one site, and in December the Roman Catholic Diocesan Commission announced the planned closure of St David Lewis, the city's smallest school.

"It is a like a village school within a city," said Mrs Davies who also intended to send her three-year-old daughter Ruby there next September.

"Jack loves it there and it broke his heart when I told him. He got really upset and was worried he wasn't going to be with his friends and teachers. It is still on his mind; he seems to mention it to everyone he sees."

Mrs Davies said it was important to her that her children had a Catholic education and, if St David Lewis closes, the nearest church school will be St Mary's near the city centre.

She felt it was also contrary to the government's apparent desire to reduce class sizes.

The 28-year-old community studies student admitted she had been a "bit of an activist" in the past but the campaign to save the school had affected her differently. "It is very raw because it is so close to home and your emotions are so high," she said.

Sue Sheppard also found herself galvanised into action when it was discovered that Torfaen council had plans to close Ponthir Primary - the only school in the village.

She said: "I was absolutely stunned. It is an excellent school with the best SATs results in Torfaen. The children are thriving and they are appreciated as individuals. I couldn't believe it was going to close. It is a good school and part of the community."

If the school closes, the children will have to travel to Cwmbran although some parents may want to send the youngsters to Caerleon schools which come under the jurisdiction of Newport education authority not Torfaen.

Transport would probably be provided to take the pupils to Cwmbran but this would not be satisfactory, said Mrs Sheppard. "We don't want to see children as young as four on a six-mile round trip."

She said it has been very upsetting for her family. Her 15-year-old son Matthew is a former Ponthir pupil and seven-year-old Oliver is very happy at the school. "He is settled there and worries he could lose his friends if he has to go to another school. The complications are unbelievable.

"As a teacher myself, I feel for the staff who face losing their jobs."

She added that it was unsettling for the pupils. "The children are devastated. The older ones realise what is going on but the younger ones don't understand."

Mrs Sheppard said everyone in Ponthir was backing the fight to save the school - not just parents. "They all know it is an essential part of the village."