UPDATE: 6.50pm

The cabinet member for education, councillor David Yeowell, said: “Today the school is a hive of activity as teaching staff and council officers draw up comprehensive plans to re-open the school as soon as possible.

“We are extremely grateful to the entire community for rallying around and offering messages of support. I am also pleased by the swift response of the insurance company in its reassurances to provide the resources needed to get the school operational as soon as possible.

“A demolition contractor has been on-site today to assess the site and fencing is being erected around the fire-damaged structure to make the site safe for pupils.”

Dermot McChrystal, chief education officer, said: “This is absolutely devastating for everyone connected to the school.

“Work to secure the site and return power is taking place over the next few days and we met on site this morning to make decisions and consider how quickly we can reopen the school safely and minimise disruption to pupils' education.

“A number of practical measures will need to take place to make the junior building suitable for infant pupils, including ordering new equipment, alterations to the pupil toilets and having the ability to provide meals for everyone requiring them.

“The long term replacement for the school could take two years and there is an awful lot of work ahead of us. However, our priority at the moment is to focus on addressing the short-term issues to ensure our pupils receive the education that they deserve.”

The school will use its text service to update parents and will keep the school and council websites and Twitter accounts updated with the latest information. 

UPDATE 6.34pm

TWO members of the education services in Torfaen have added their comments to the plans to re-open Coed Eva Primary School on Monday, January 11.

Cllr David Yeowell, the executive member for education, and Dermot McChrystal, chief education officer, were present at the school, meeting with headteacher Gill Ellis.

“The school is a hive of activity as teaching staff and council officers draw up comprehensive plans to re-open the school as soon as possible,” said cllr Yeowell.

“We are extremely grateful to the entire community for rallying around and offering messages of support.

“I am also pleased by the swift response of the insurance company in its reassurances to provide the resources needed to get the school operational as soon as possible.

“A demolition contractor has been on-site to assess the site and fencing is being erected around the fire-damaged structure to make the site safe for pupils.”

The school is currently using its text service to update parents, keeping the school and council websites as well as Twitter accounts updated with the latest information. 

Mr McChrystal added: “This is absolutely devastating for everyone connected to the school.

“Work to secure the site and return power is taking place over the next few days and we met on site to make decisions and consider how quickly we can reopen the school safely and minimise disruption to pupils' education.

“A number of practical measures will need to take place to make the junior building suitable for infant pupils, including ordering new equipment, alterations to the pupil toilets and having the ability to provide meals for everyone requiring them.

“The long term replacement for the school could take two years and there is an awful lot of work ahead of us.

“However, our priority at the moment is to focus on addressing the short-term issues to ensure our pupils receive the education that they deserve.”

UPDATE: 5.55pm

THE headteacher of a Torfaen primary school torched on New Year’s Day has announced plans to re-open the school on Monday, January 11.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the building which housed the nursery and infant school classrooms at Coed Eva Primary School was completely destroyed in the fire.

Once power is restored to the whole school, work will start to install temporary portable classrooms while using surplus teaching space in the junior school building.

“We are planning to bring in portable classrooms onto the site as well as using and utilising the surplus classroom space in the junior school,” said headteacher Gill Ellis.

“At the end of the day, the quality of teaching cannot be compromised – and that will remain our ultimate goal.”

She added that the charred remnants of the nursery and infant school block could potentially upset some of the younger pupils at her school.

“With some of the younger children, they are going to be shocked and upset so it is important that we try and restore those confidences as early as possible,” said Mrs Ellis.

“The aim is to, after the Christmas holidays, get the children back into their routine.”

Four teenage boys aged 14 and 15 from the Cwmbran area were arrested on suspicion of arson, but were bailed pending further enquiries as the police continue their investigations.

In what would have been the first day back from the Christmas break, Mrs Ellis met with an array of local officials and service personnel to decide the school’s short-term plans.

“It is really pleasing that we have plans in place to strategically plan forward,” she said.

“The priority is to get the children back to their normal routine as much as possible on the site.

“We are working with closure this week, which we have already announced to parents and working towards re-opening on Monday (January 11),” added Mrs Ellis.

The rebuilding process, which the headteacher believes will take up to two years, has been setback with the school currently without power and forensic investigations underway.

“Forensics have been on site and they have completed their investigations,” added the headteacher, speaking about the school building suffering from the worst of the damage.

“We have not been allowed on that part of the site and now it hands over to the contractors to take up the situation with the fire and the police.”

A crowdfunding page created by parents and former pupils has already raised over £3,000 for the school, and the show of solidarity has not surprised Mrs Ellis.

“We are a very strong community at Coed Eva and we always work together especially in times of crisis like this. I’ve very grateful to the parents of the community for all the support they’ve given us,” she said.

To donate to the Coed Eva fund, visit gofundme.com/q5h3ejbf.

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THE Torfaen school torched on New Year’s Day will remain shut for this week as work begins to start the rebuilding process.

Temporary classrooms and surplus space in the junior school will be used at Coed Eva Primary School following Friday’s fire in the early hours.

The school is scheduled to being teaching again on Monday January 11, following a day of meetings involving headteacher Gill Ellis.

“It has been a very productive day,” said Mrs Ellis.

“We are planning to bring in portable classrooms onto the site as well as using and utilising the surplus classroom space in the junior school.

“At the end of the day, the quality of teaching cannot be compromised – and that will remain our ultimate goal,” she added.

Four teenage boys from Cwmbran were arrested and subsequently bailed on suspicion of arson, and it is estimated that it will take two years until the school is back to full size.

Mrs Ellis has praised the surrounding Coed Eva community, who have shown solidarity in this time of crisis – raising over £3,000 for the school since Friday.

“I’m not surprised by the support shown so far,” she said.

"As I have said we are a very strong community at Coed Eva and we always work together especially in times of crisis like this.

“I’m very grateful to the parents of the community for all the support they’ve given us,” added the headteacher.

To donate to the crowdfunding page, visit gofundme.com/q5h3ejbf.