BLAENAU Gwent council is to decide whether to hold a formal consultation over plans for a new community primary school in Six Bells in December.

Almost 100 responses were received as part of a recent three month informal consultation into the re-organisation of primary schools in Six Bells, Abertillery.

The consultation looked at three options, with the council’s preferred one being a new build school on the former colliery site.

People were asked to consider four options for both Queen Street Primary School and Bryngwyn Primary School, which the new school could replace as both have been had "major deterioration issues".

One of the options was to keep both schools as they are; another was to close both schools in 2017 with pupils being educated from September 1 of that year in a new build school or the existing buildings remodelled.

The final option was to close both schools and educate pupils in a new 360-place school.

Councillors and the chair of the education recovery board will be able to view all comments received from the public and decide whether to proceed to a formal consultation on the preferred option at an executive committee meeting in December.

The proposal for a new school is part of the council’s 21st Century Schools programme, which aims to improve the schools across Blaenau Gwent to raise standards.

The new community school would cater for 360 pupils, with an option to extend to 420 places, and would also include provision for pupils with additional learning needs.

If approved, the formal consultation would run from January until April 2015.