A PARENT has come out in defence of school where pupils have seen their education turned upside-down since the summer after the building was deemed too dangerous to go in.
Days before pupils were due to return to Millbrook Primary after the summer holidays, problems were found with the building in Bettws, and since then youngsters have had to make do with a temporary site two miles away - and no confirmation of when they can return.
The Argus has heard horror stories of parents having to walk an extra 30 minutes and having to arrive hours early for limited parking spaces as the school day is plunged into chaos with a set of temporary measures.
One parent told the Argus her battle to get one of only five disabled parking spaces – often arriving an hour early to guarantee a spot.
Another said their son is absolutely exhausted because they don't get back to school until 4.45pm, after pick-up and drop-off times were rearranged at Newport High using six double-decker buses to ferry the children to and from Brynglas Adult Training Centre (ATC) – Millbrook’s temporary site.
In the latest development, school dinners were described as not enough to “fill a baby” let alone a growing child as the Argus revealed dinners are cooked at the old school and transported to the temporary facility.
The meal Leanne Pengelly's son was served. Image: Leanne Pengelly
However, one parent paints a different picture, saying the staff are doing the best they can under the most difficult of circumstances.
“I can offer the teachers and headteacher nothing but praise for the way they are handling not an ideal situation,” said David Hayes, whose two daughters attend the school.
Mr Hayes told the Argus anyone angry at members of staff should aim it elsewhere and said the whole situation was a “funding issue” with, “every aspect of public finance being underfunded in the UK ever since the Conservative Party got into power”.
He went on to say: “Regarding some of the concerns raised - Newport High is a five to ten minute walk from Millbrook. Any complaints about distance to travel are ludicrous.
“Lunches are cooked at Millbrook and transported to Brynglas. In one of your articles this was talked about as if it's a one-off awful situation, but I happen to know that some Newport schools have never had any canteen facilities, and all meals are cooked off-site.
“What would people rather Millbrook does, give sandwiches?”
Pupils are now dropped off at Newport High School
In a statement, Newport City Council said: “Investigations of the school building have found that significantly more extensive structural repairs are required.
“Work to identify options for the site is now under way and a full report will be presented to the cabinet as soon as possible.”
What's your opinion of what's happened at Millbrook School? Let us know in comments, on Facebook, or email newsdesk@southwalesargus.co.uk.
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