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Cwmcarn pupils may return in autumn after asbestos work

The school closed in October after the discovery of asbestos at the site

Caerphilly Council has agreed to manage the removal of asbestos at Cwmcarn High School, following a meeting of the school's governors.

Last week, the council blamed the governors for delays in approving the planned £1m work.

?"We look forward to working with the council to progress the scheme" said Gary Thomas, Chair of Governors at Cwmcarn.

"I would like to thank everyone for their patience over the last few months while we worked hard to resolve this issue".

"We are aiming to get pupils back on site on September 2, but to do this we will need to provide temporary accommodation as a short term measure while works are completed within the school buildings" said Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Caerphilly Council's member for education.

Council attacks 'lack of progress' on Cwmcarn High School decision

Caerphilly County Borough Council is accusing the governing body of Cwmcarn High School of taking too long to make a decision on when work to remove asbestos from the site should begin.

In April, the council announced that the school would reopen, with pupils taught in temporary accommodation on the site while the work is carried out.

The school was closed in October 2012 after the discovery of the material within the school buildings.

I would like to assure the school community that we are ready to move quickly as soon as a decision is made, but we are becoming increasingly frustrated by the school’s lack of progress and it now seems we must wait until next week for a decision to be made.

Time is fast running out and I would urge the school leadership to take decisive action before we miss our window of opportunity to get the work done in time,” he added.

– Nigel Barnett, Acting Chief Executive, Caerphilly County Borough Council

Read: £1m plan to remove Cwmcarn High School asbestos approved

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£1m to be spent on Cwmcarn High School

Caerphilly Council says pupils and staff will be able to return to Cwmcarn High School following a decision by members to approve £1m funding for emergency remediation of asbestos at the site.

Pupils will return to temporary accommodation while the works are undertaken and the school could be open for reoccupation in September this year.

The council will now enter into a grant arrangement with the Governing Body who will procure, commission and manage the asbestos works at the school.

I welcome the decision and I’m sure the whole school community will be delighted that a way forward has been agreed.

We took a very difficult, but correct decision last October to temporarily close the school.

– Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Cabinet Member for Education

Cwmcarn school could reopen in September

Parents and pupils have spent months campaigning for the high school to reopen.

Pupils could return to Cwmcarn High School after the summer holidays, following a unanimous vote last night by Caerphilly councillors.

The school was closed last October after an investigation supposedly found dangerous levels of asbestos - two subsequent reports argue the building is "essentially uncontaminated".

However a report into the findings recommend asbestos removal and remediation works totalling almost £1m before the school is safe for re-occupation.

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Council approves plan to remove Cwmcarn High School asbestos

The site has been closed since October 2012

Cwmcarn High School is to reopen, after Caerphilly councillors agreed a plan to remove asbestos at the site and provide temporary classrooms.

The decision was made at a meeting on Wednesday night, which was also attended by a large number of parents of pupils at the school.

Since the discovery of asbestos at the school last October, the pupils have been educated at the former Coleg Gwent site in Ebbw Vale.

Read more: Asbestos discovered at Caerphilly school

500 parents and pupils match through Cwmcarn

More than five hundred pupils and their parents have marched through Cwmcarn today in an attempt to persuade the local council to reopen their school.

Cwmcarn High School was closed last October after an investigation supposedly found dangerous levels of asbestos.

But two subsequent reports have argued that the building is "essentially uncontaminated", so parents now say they want their children back at the site. With more, here's our Valleys reporter Hannah Thomas.

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