Four schools face axe

The decision to propose the closure of the schools in Bettws and Malpas - including a nursery school - was unveiled at Newport council's cabinet.

The council made a U-turn on its decision to discuss the schools shake-up behind closed doors after that provoked an outcry in the Argus from parents. It moved the talks into the public part of the cabinet meeting.

The plans, which are now set to go out for consultation, will hit pupils at Malpas Park Primary, Millbrook Infants, Millbrook Junior and Don Close Nursery the hardest.

Under the proposals, Malpas Park Primary and Malpas Court Primary schools would close and a new amalgamated school would open on the current Malpas Court site.

Don Close Nursery, Millbrook Infants and Monnow Infants schools would be shut and a single school would open at the Monnow Infants site.

Millbrook Junior and Monnow Junior schools would also close and would be united to form a school on the Monnow Schools site.

Councillor Bob Poole, cabinet member for education and young people's services, said falling pupil numbers had forced the council to make the decisions.

He said: "It would be easy for us to do nothing, but we want to manage Newport's education properly.

"Millbrook doesn't have the attendance it should have and the buildings aren't of the best standard.

"Malpas Park is full to the brim. But on the other side of the road is Malpas Court, which has a superb building, and that school is withering and dying. We cannot let that happen."

Council leader Bob Bright stressed that today's decision was not the death knell for the schools as the proposals will now go out to further consultation and could be amended.

Land at the Millbrook site would be sold off to generate extra cash. The present Malpas Court Primary School building would be extended to house an amalgamated school.

Monnow Junior would be demolished and a new junior school built. Monnow Infants would be extended.