Axe looks likely to fall on two schools

A major shake-up of primary school education in Monmouthshire is under way and one of the options open to council chiefs is to close West End Infants and Sandy Lane Infants because they have too many surplus places.

This would see the extension of St Mary's School and Welsh medium school Ysgol Y Ffin moving from Sudbrook to the Sandy Lane site.

This month, Monmouthshire county council's working group on the schools reorganisation is consulting staff, governors and parents at the two infants schools along with Durand, St Mary's and Green Lane schools, which would also be affected by the shake-up.

Town and county councillor Ron Stewart, who sits on the working group, said politicians seemed to favour the option which would see the extension of St Mary's and the closure of both of the schools.

"We are looking at the problem stage by stage and we have not reached the final stage yet," he said.

"Nothing is finalised but we are heading that way. Both options have certain advantages but I think, perhaps, extending St Mary's is the preferred option as it has more going for it."

The proposal to close the schools has sparked outrage and governors of West End Infants will meet next Thursday to decide their next step. Chairman of governors Kath Wilson said: "We will be having a full governors meeting to discuss what is going on and what we are going to do. But until after that meeting I have no further comment."

In yesterday's Argus, parents and head teachers said they would be disappointed if the schools closed.

Dawn Phillips, 39, who has a five-year-old attending Sandy Lane, said closing small schools would mean children would lose their close ties with each other.

There are 89 pupils in West End Infants with a surplus of 85 place and 102 pupils at Sandy Lane with a surplus of 72.

In all five schools there are currently 697 pupils with 257 surplus places.