A SECONDARY school which shut in the wake of a controversial merger is to be sold for £6m.

More than 4,000 people signed a petition against the amalgamation of Fairwater High and Llantarnam School in Cwmbran.

But the merged school, Cwmbran High, opened at the site of Fairwater school in September.

The Llantarnam School land was put up for sale and Torfaen council received four major offers, a Cabinet report showed.

Yesterday, Torfaen Cabinet agreed to accept a £6.2m offer for the land.

The school is to be demolished as soon as possible after contracts are exchanged, the Torfaen council report indicates.

Torfaen council officer Victor Mbvundula told the Cabinet two of the offers had been 'quite competitive'.

He told the deal had been negotiated through marketing of the 14-acre school site.

Mr Mbvundula said the council had gone through quite a long period of analysis and assessment.

He said the cost of the demolition of the school was to be met by the buyer.

Mr Mbvundula added that payments were to be made in phases.

This autumn, we reported how Cwmbran High headteacher Helen Coulson said staff and pupils had an 'excellent start' at her comprehensive, adding it was set to become the 'school of choice'.

The school benefited from £6m worth of investment through Torfaen council’s 21st Century Schools programme.

Ms Coulson said: “We have had an excellent start to Cwmbran High School.

"The students are fantastic and have arrived ready to learn.

"Ultimately, Cwmbran High will be a well established, high achieving, academic school, a centre of excellence for teaching and learning full of highly trained and dedicated staff.

"It will have a reputation for high standards and will be the school of choice.”

Meanwhile, Torfaen education Cabinet member Cllr David Yeowell said the school would be a 'catalyst to raise standards' adding its opening marked another milestone in the council’s commitment to make the right size and place to the changing curriculum.