MONMOUTHSHIRE council has dropped a major part of its plan for schools’ catchment area reorganisation after hundreds of parents made their opposition clear.

Cabinet members decided at a meeting this week that the only part of proposals delivered to parents in December will be to draw up catchment areas for two of the county’s Welsh-medium primary schools.

A member of a Portskewett group that rallied against mooted changes which would have seen secondary school-aged children travel to Chepstow School rather than Caldicot School, said she was happy with the councillors’ decision.

Anna George, a mum of three whose children attend Archbishop Rowan Williams Primary School, said: “That is just fantastic. I am glad that we had the consultation process. It clearly has helped and we have been able to work as a community with it and that has been really apparent. We are glad that the council listened and took on board all of our comments and concerns.”

Mrs George said there were more than 100 parents opposed to the changes, which they feared could rip apart excellent community relations between Caldicot and Portskewett, while another Portskewett mum, Katie Mayo, dubbed the decision “brilliant news”.

She said she was reassured her daughter Macey, seven, will now be able to walk to school in Caldicot when she would not have been able to if plans for change had gone ahead.

She added: “(The council)keeps pushing for healthy living and walking to school but if (Portskewett children) had gone to Chepstow that wouldn’t have happened.”

After the meeting, the council’s cabinet member for children and young people, Cllr Liz Hacket Pain said: “The status quo will remain. It was absolutely the wish of parents and from the meetings that were held to keep parents informed. “We have taken on board what they had to say. I think ultimately it is the voice of reason.”

On the mooted proposal to change the Portskewett catchment area, Cllr Hacket Pain said: “It really was not the right choice at all but it was worth consulting on what people felt. When the parents absolutely say ‘don’t do it’ it because it would be a silly thing to do we will listen to them.”

She added there had been support from Chepstow School to potential changes because of fears over falling pupil numbers there.

The decision to create catchment areas for Ysgol Gymraeg Y Ffin in Caldicot and Ysgol Gymraeg Y Fenni in Abergavenny will be put to the cabinet at a later date.

A Monmouthshire council spokesman said the authority had received 583 responses from parents during the consultation process, which finished on January 30, and had consulted the 6,146 pupils on roll at its schools.

He said it had also talked to all neighbouring authorities, Caerleon Endowed Junior School and Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw in Pontypool over the changes.

Letters were also sent out to all pupils who live out of the county but attend Monmouth Comprehensive School.