MONMOUTHSHIRE council is to hold a meeting with the governors of Chepstow School following calls for an independent inquiry into the school.

The council will be meeting with representatives of Chepstow School on June 29. This comes as former teachers at the school wrote to the council last week voicing concerns about several aspects of the school including redundancies.

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, labour leader at Monmouthshire council, has submitted questions concerning the school which will be answered at full council meeting on Thursday by cllr Liz Hacket Pain, cabinet member for schools. The questions tabled include; what is the current situation regarding the reorganisation taking place at Chepstow School and what is the total amount spent on redundancy payments at Chepstow school for the financial years 2014- 15 and 2013-14.

The school estimate it will be in a deficit of £314,793 at the end of 2015-16.

Claire Price, head teacher of Chepstow School, told Monmouthshire council's audit committee last week, that when she was appointed in January 2012 the school was a 'failing school.' She said the school was on a 'downward facing trajectory' and were in the bottom 25 per cent in all school in Wales for achievement.

She said: "We had what can best be described and what has been described to me as at the time was a toxic culture within the school. Underpinning all that, the financial management was also poor. There was no strategic planning."

She told the committee that the school were in their second year of a three year budget recovery plan.

She said: "In terms of financial cost accrued a lot of that came from what I believe was financial mismanagement of the past. There was an overestimation of income.

“We had money put against Welsh Government grant that weren't actually compliant with that grant. This then had to be clawed back in the following financial year."

She told the committee that an interest free loan had been granted for a member of staff who came from out of the area to take up a post in the school. She said this was provided to a social science teacher who was taking up the post quickly from the previous teacher who left the school in 2012/13.

She said the loan to cover removal costs of the teacher was discussed with a HR advisor from Monmouthshire council and granted by the chair of governors. She said a sufficiently timed repayment of that loan had not been set up but a policy has since been put in place for all loans to be repaid within 12 months.

Andy Clarke, one of 13 former teachers who called for an inquiry, said: "This would be in the best interest of the staff, parents and pupils and a transparent inquiry would see all facts brought out in the open in the correct forum and any conclusion would be supported by all. We again emphasise our total support for the pupils, parents and staff of Chepstow School."

He said they have received messages of support and now have more than 350 members on their Facebook page 'Enquiry into Chepstow School.'