FURIOUS parents of pupils from blaze-hit Rogerstone Primary school last night forced Newport council to reconsider its plans for the temporary re-housing of lessons.

Shocked councillors and council officials were forced to back down from their plans after they were unanimously rejected by angry parents at a public meeting last night.

Councillor John Pembridge, cabinet member for young people's services, told parents at a packed Bassaleg school hall that the council's preferred interim option was to have a split site school.

This option, costing approximately £770,000, would see the nursery and reception classes being taught at Rogerstone, and the rest of the school continuing to travel to the Westfield site as they do at the moment, until a permanent school can be built. This option would mean that the council exceeds the £575,000 it had put aside from the £3 million insurance money from the blaze.

The two other options put forward but rejected by the council were to keep the whole school together at the current Westfield site, at an estimated cost of £480,000, or have temporary accommodation at the Rogerstone site in demountable classrooms costing an estimated £1.3 million.

Dozens of concerned parents and governors spoke against the proposal, instead preferring the final option of staying at the Rogerstone site.

They criticised the council's handling of the matter, and raised many issues with the proposal, including:

The safety of bussing children across Newport using the M4. The length of time children are currently left waiting for buses. Safety at the Westfield site. Splitting up the school community.

Parent Paul Ryan, 45, stood up and shouted: "Let's have a show of hands from everybody who wants option one." (Having temporary classrooms on the Rogerstone site). Now the matter will go before the cabinet in July.