WITH reference to the closure plans for Llantarnam School (Argus, March 20).

The 1,475 and 1,312 pupil capacity at Llantarnam and Fairwater schools respectively is a good pointer to a lot of the problems within the Welsh education system, maintaining proper discipline and education with that many under one roof can’t be easy and another issue is road safety, the children spilling out onto the pavements and streets outside.

For years, parents, teachers and many politicians have complained about over-large classes usually related to the size of the school, but when the opportunity arises to improve the teacher-pupil ratios because of falling attendance rates, the education authorities go the other way and discuss closing one school to try and cram even more bodies into another.

The Welsh Government’s favourite Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said “education education, education”, but unless they reduce the numbers per school, particularly at secondary level, exam results are not going to improve any time soon.

A Greenhalgh, Ross Street, Newport