CONCERNED parents from a Torfaen school have raised their questions and fears to a panel of politicians and councillors following news of its possible closure.

Victoria Primary and Brynteg Nursery in Abersychan are in danger of closing in 2017 as part of the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools programme.

Torfaen’s Nick Thomas-Symonds MP and Lynne Neagle AM joined Abersychan ward councillors Giles Davies and Gwyneria Clark in a packed school hall filled with staff, family of the pupils and concerned residents on Friday evening.

Mrs Neagle said: “Clearly there are a lot of worries and I will be following these up very vigorously with the local authorities and with Welsh Government.

“There has been an excellent turnout and there are a lot of names on the petition and members of the Facebook group. This factors show the strength of feeling behind this motion.”

Mr Thomas-Symonds agreed to do what he could to raise the issue in the coming sessions of UK Parliament.

Reports into the closure have labelled Victoria Primary as ‘not fit for purpose’, but this has been hotly refuted by parents and staff alike.

Under the proposal, primary schools in Garnteg and Cwmffrwdoer will accommodate pupils from the school should it close in two years’ time.

Dr. John Cox is a former parent of a pupil at the school and is mystified as to why these decisions seem to be going ahead.

“The idea that you can have one centralised school for all of Abersychan and the surrounding areas is absolute nonsense,” she said.

“This school has served a community purpose as well as an educational one. This will be lost if the education is moved somewhere else. New doubled glazed windows and modern buildings does not mean a good school.”

Councillors will be able to challenge the council’s decision to close the school at an internal council meeting on October 16.

After the publication of a consultation report by the council, parents and residents will be able to voice their own challenges to the plans.

A concerned parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “There is enough strength and sense within the building to handle the next stage of action in the right way.

“The whole situation has been a farce – I have emailed the council after the publication of the first consultation letters, but the response I received contained scant information and arrived after the 14-day response time.”