ANGRY parents have pledged to fight to save their children's school - one of ten in Gwent facing the axe under radical new plans.

The Argus exclusively revealed how Monmouthshire council was planning a major shake-up of the education system in the county.

The controversial new proposals, finalised by councillors ten days ago, would see separate infants and junior schools in the Abergavenny area replaced by primary schools.

Among the schools earmarked for closure are Darenfelin Primary School, at Llanelly Hill, Greenlane Junior School, in Caldicot, Clydach Primary School, and other village schools in Llanover, Llanfoist, Llanellen and Llanfair Kilgeddin.

The proposals have now been put out for consultation and the schools are informing parents of the plans.

But angry parents and governors from the schools facing the axe have said they will fight against the plans.

On Saturday, 50 parents and residents from Llanover attended a public meeting at the village hall to discuss plans to save their school.

David Jeremiah, chairman of Llanover PTA, said: "It was a well-attended meeting. We had the young and the old all there.

"We will get a petition going and are setting up a committee to look into the financial situation because we just don't think the council's figures add up.

"It is important from a village point of view that we keep our school. There will be nothing left if they get rid of the school as well as everything else which has closed.

"And if our children have to catch the bus to go to schools further away, is that going to cost parents more? This is something we must fight on behalf of the village as well.

"If these plans come in, it will not be until 2006, so would not affect many of us, whose children will have left.

"But this is also about the future of Llanover village, and if they take away our school, there will not be anything left here.

"The meeting was united, everyone there had the same aim - to stop them closing Llanover School."