“If the council is not going to back down over this, one solution to this problem that would let the existing pupils remain would be as follows. The council has targets for the promotion of welsh language education although no welsh-medium school exists in the upper afan valley. A welsh school could be created in the following way: as each age group passes up a year, change the year below starting at nursery level to welsh language. Obviously one of the teaching staff would need to be replaced each year but there would be no disruption to current pupils education. This way the local authority will providing welsh-medium education to the whole area (not just duffryn and cynon) increasing role numbers and maybe the standard of teaching, and the village won't lose its school. Job done.”

“I would just like to say I agree with all the points made so far regarding the closure of Duffryn Afan Primary School.

I was at the protest in Port Talbot and was surprised by the level of support that we received. Over 650 signatures were collected on the petition!!

It will be a tragedy if the school closes as it is the heart of our two communities (Duffryn and Cynonville).

There are no facilities for the children of the two villages, no play area of any kind and there is no longer a community centre.
I urge the powers that be to have a serious re-think on this, once again, the valley is possibly losing another very valuable facility - Or do they want to see the valley as an empty wasteland covered with wind turbines?”

“¿ Federation: With the new housing development won¿t more pupils be living nearer to pontrhydyfen. With both schools presently having an acting Head teacher wouldn¿t it make sense to appoint a Head teacher for our school and theirs?
¿ Attendance could suffer due to bus timetables and Low income families cannot afford to be catching buses once sometimes twice week because of illness or sleeping late bus fares are not cheap and now it¿s a five minute walk down the road at no cost. There is only so much you can do with a low income.”

“this ratio.
¿ If the School closes, will an empty/unused building attract vandalism and so affect local businesses, families and cost to the emergency services.
¿ All teaching and non teaching staff will be made redundant which will not only affect both their families and themselves but also national unemployment figures.
¿ Closing the school will go against Neath/Port Talbot valley¿s strategy of ensuring that schools remain the heart of communities.
¿ Local businesses will suffer due to the lack of families wanting to move to the village without a school.
¿ Proposed new property development could suffer with families not wanting to move into a village without a school.
¿ Parents will have to put their young children some as young as 5 on a bus every morning to school at least two miles away will the bus be fitted with seat belts.
¿ When a child is ill in school how do we get to them without transport and buses running every hour.”

“¿ The school is the heart and focal point for both Duffryn and Cynonville. It act as not only a excellent community school but a meeting place for the both the young and the elderly e.g. Senior Citizen Group, After School Club, Breakfast Club, Mother and Toddlers, Parents Coffee Morning/Meeting place, Remembrance Day Service, Voting etc
¿ Children could miss out on a Nursery education if parents don¿t have their own transport and there is no safe way to walk to the proposed school not that a child at the age of 3 could walk 2 miles twice a day. Bus services run 10 passed the hour in the proposed school direction so the child will be on the 12:10 bus, to then hang around for 50 minutes ( in cold weather this is unacceptable) or arrive late due to the next bus time 1:10.
¿ When asked if the child will have to move school again due to numbers dropping we was told that they hope this would not happen but cannot rule it out. There by causing concern for children¿s further disruption in future Education.
¿ Duffryn¿s Staff/Pupil ratio is now 1 to 16 and at times 1 to 8 moving to a larger class situation could adversely affect this ratio.”

“I really do feel for you all. We are still awaiting a decission from WAG about our school, so I know how you feel. Its vital that our schools remain open. Our children are our future, and future voters. Where will these PUBLIC SERVANTS be without votes? Keep up the fight, stay possitive. and the very best of luck to you all.”

“Kathryn, I wish you and your fellow parents all the very best in your fight.
Like Nicola Evans of Cwmavon, I am saddened to hear of this move which to all intents and purposes is motivated by money. That's the bottom line.
I am also saddened to read the comments of the Council official when he refers to "stakeholders". These are PARENTS we are talking about, concerned for their children and community.
Every day a news story breaks concerning our Council. Job losses,rent increases,financial crises and now school closures.
Nicola, I agree with you 100%. It is hard to believe in a civilised society in 2010 that these events are taking place.
Communities mean NOTHING. Children mean NOTHING. What matters?

MONEY.”

“Parents fight this rediculous school closure with every means possible. We are now well into the 21st century yet the way these councils and the Welsh Assembly are performing they seem to be taking us back into Victorian age where only children with wealthy parents had a good education.
Every child deserves the upmost opportunity to reach their true potential ,they are after all the future of the country.
Rural Schools play a very important part of village life were children are taught the history and pride of the area,also they form special bonds which they carry on throughout life this cannot be allowed to be distroyed.
Children are indiviuals many need extra tuition by one-to- one with a caring teacher this will be difficult to achieve if children are sent to larger class size schools.
Councils and this Welsh Assembly use a standard phase to try and justify school closures by using the excuse of falling roll numbers,yet recent figures indicate that birthrates are on the increase again. (Where will this future generation go to school) . Also the national newspapers are predicting that 180,000 immigrants will arrive in the U/K every year for the next 20 years many will come to Wales,some will have only a basic or no knowledge of english and welsh culture.
Why should parents and children suffer because of authorities and politicans incompetents.
Duffryn Afan Primary I sincerely hope you win your fight I am with you all the way.”

“They are planning to send our children, from the age of 4, on a bus to Cymmer with a person on board to watch over them. We will lose our nursery facility, from 3 years and our children will most likely also lose the ability to attend pre and after school clubs unless they decide there will be an adequate bus service, which is very unlikely, due to funding.
My children will not be attending Cymmer school, they will not be arriving by bus either. With no disrespect to Cymmer school intended. I have to drive the opposite direction every morning anyway.
I fear this village, with the little it currently has to offer, is at danger of becoming little more than a ghost town if the school closes. Families will move away, and the homes will go empty. House prices are bound to drop too. Beautiful scenery alone is not enough to make people want to come and live here.
This school IS needed here. Thanks for reading.”

“This is very sad time, for a village to lose both it's school and community centre. How would these children travel to school in Cymmer ? Not every parent has a car or the daily bus fare! Will Neath Port Talbot council provide free transport for these pupil's? Who would have thought in 2010, that schools would be closing and job's would be lost, under a Labour government and Labour run council. The future look's bleak.”