PARENTS who have been left angry at proposals to close Llantarnam School have vowed to fight the plans.

Parent and governor at Llantarnam School, Sue Tamplin, said that parents are unhappy that the proposal is for the closure of Llantarnam School, with pupils relocating to Fairwater School.

There will be a £6 million refurbishment of Fairwater School, which will result in the use of demountable classrooms for four years to allow for enough space for all the pupils until the refurbishment takes place.

She said: “This site is not the best site for any proposals due to safety issues, including youngsters being dropped off on the main road and it is a steep sloping site on many levels.”

Mrs Tamplin claims that the Llantarnam site is safer as pupil transport enters school grounds and the site is on flat land.

She said: “We are proposing that we get a new build on the Llantarnam site with all youngsters being taught on a safer, bigger site where a new build can go ahead without much disruption to staff or pupils.”

The second option that the parents are proposing is that the council buys the land at the former Police Training College, Cwmbran, and build a new school there.

She said that the site is easily accessible with more than enough ground for a new primary school in the future.

She said: “Wales is failing our youngsters in their education and Torfaen Council has been in special measures for some time now. So to suggest just a patch up of an existing school in the area is an insult.”

Mrs Tamplin is calling on local parents to make their voice heard at future consultation meetings.

She added: “We must all stand together with our youngsters and fight for them to have the best that they so richly deserve to enable them to compete for college and university places and be proud to say they went to school in Cwmbran.”

Sarah Smith, whose child attends Llantarnam, added: “Parents feel that the closure of Llantarnam and the merger to Fairwater is a travesty.”

The executive member for children and young people, Cllr Brian Mawby, said: “The Fairwater site has been proposed for the newly formed school owing to it being the most central location for the majority of the pupils who would be attending.”