Valleys schools 'crumbling' - report

1:00pm Wednesday 5th December 2007

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CHILDREN in some Blaenau Gwent schools are being educated in crumbling buildings with no outdoor play areas, a report says.

Up to £40 million is needed to bring school buildings in the county borough up to scratch, Blaenau Gwent council chiefs are being told.

At least four schools should be replaced according to Blaenau Gwent council's School's Asset Management Plan 2007-12 - a large-scale overview of educational resources.

It envisages a major investment programme to build new schools and repair existing sites over the next five to seven years, but says priority issues could be dealt with in the next two years.

Queen Street and Bryngwyn Primaries in Six Bells are highlighted for replacement because of poor access and facilities. Both have no outdoor games facilities.

The Six Bells colliery site is earmarked as a possible site for a new merged school.

Queen Street primary school in Six Bells has a cramped play area and no space for team games, as well as problems with disability access.

"We would be delighted at the prospect of a new school," said headteacher Janet Twomey.

"It's like the Forth Bridge at the moment - you finish work on one area while another is falling apart somewhere else."

Gwyn Price, head of Bryngwyn, said children would benefit from new sports facilities - currently they have to walk to a site in the village.

Ysgol Gymraeg Brynmawr is highlighted as needing over £650,000 worth of repairs. The report says it should ideally be replaced.

Its headteacher Rosemary Williams said her pupils had to put up with aging classrooms with leaking pipes, crumbling plasterwork and damp walls.

"There is no green space, the toilets are decrepit and the building is just suffering from it's general age."

And Waunlywd primary, Ebbw Vale, needs replacement because it would not be able to cope with the anticipated influx of new residents following the regeneration of the Corus site.

Elsewhere there are another seven schools with major maintenance concerns, such as Abertillery primary which needs £263,000 spending on it and Glyncoed primary in Tredegar which needs £231,000 for repairs.

And the council has received representations from staff and governors at Ebbw Vale Comprehensive over concerns about the lack of one-site sports hall facility.

The total current outstanding cost of maintenance at LEA maintained schools is £3.3 million.

In addition 25 per cent of places are surplus in seven schools, while in at least three others there is concern enough spaces will be available over the next five years.