IF Friday January 1 was a day to forget for Coed Eva Primary School, then Tuesday September 13 was one to remember.

As choirmaster Gareth Malone was rehearsing with the school’s choir for his upcoming Christmas album, a short distance away, multi-million pound plans to rebuild the buildings lost in the New Year’s Day fire were approved by Torfaen’s cabinet.

In the aftermath of the blaze, which ravaged the school's infant and nursery block, a community choir was set up, creating the song ‘Believe’, written by Lyn Marsh.

On Tuesday morning, the choir welcomed Mr Malone to Cwmbran, who rehearsed with the children who will be adding their voices to two songs on his album ‘A Great British Christmas’.

“I heard the story about the school, or part of it, burning down but their response had been to sing and that struck me as the right response to come together following the fire,” he said, adding that he received a message from head teacher Gill Ellis earlier in the year.

“I thought that was exactly the community spirit and energy that I wanted on this album. Where else but in Wales could you find a school being part destroyed by a fire and their response is to create a choir.”

Under Mr Malone’s instruction, the choir will be singing parts of Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ and Chris de Burgh’s ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ alongside his professional choir – Voices – and the Invictus Choir.

“As I was singing the song during practice, I thought and realised that a lot of the words are very apt, for example baptisms of fire. They have been thought a very hard time and it’s a song with a hopeful message for humanity,” he said.

“The emotional wellbeing of the children is really important. It is a big shock to have such a safe environment like a school, something which the children go to each day, part destroyed in that way.”

Mr Malone praised the children in the choir during the rehearsal, and added that the aspect of children singing on the album would provide a perfect tone.

“I think that having children’s voices on it will create something wonderfully uplifting and optimistic,” he said.

Mrs Ellis, the school’s head teacher added: “Out of the devastation of the fire has come this amazing sense of community spirit while trying to maintain a sense of wellbeing.

“The children have been so excited that Gareth has come to their school. It’s an honour to have him here and I’ll get in trouble with the children if I don’t take him round to all the classes.”

Meanwhile, plans to replace buildings at the school were given the unanimous go-ahead by Torfaen council’s cabinet.

Torfaen council’s plans outline design work to replace the buildings lost in the fire and with a spending limit of £3.7 million.

As the school started the task of returning to normal, temporary classrooms were installed for learners to continue their education.

The new plans will see the rebuild ‘linked’ to the existing school building, with Torfaen CBC’s insurer contributing £2.95 million to a replacement building.

The option of repositioning the building and linking it to the remaining site will see Torfaen CBC contribute around £750,000 to the costs.

Pupils at the school will continue to use the two two-storey Portakabin buildings and one single storey temporary Portaloos building, which will remain at the site under several conditions.

These buildings will remain on site until the new accommodation is completed and the rental cost will be met by the insurer until December 2017.

If the construction work is not completed by this date, Torfaen council will continue to pay the rental cost at a rate of £10,000 a month.

Officers thanked the previous support of the community during works at the fire-damaged school and stated that a full consultation process will happen with residents about future construction.

Two buildings plans for the future of the school were initially proposed by officers — which included a cheaper £3.1 – 3.3 million option which included reviving the infant block as separate building.

Deputy council leader, Cllr Antony Hunt, welcomed the plans but asked cabinet “why the preferred (linked) option was worth the extra money”.

Education head, Cllr David Yeowell, stated reconstructing the school buildings at the same location on a “like for like basis” would “exacerbate some of the problems that existed traditionally”.

“Initially the school was built as two separate institutions [...] having a link pulls it in in a very aesthetic way to look and feel like one school and it will operate as one school in that sense," he said.

“I think it’s the best that we can come up with. A total rebuild, or new build, is not on the cards so this is the best on offer.

“The head is sympathetic to the issues and is very excited about having this new configuration. I hope we can ok the extra spend that we have to do.”

Mrs Ellis, added the aim has been to return a “sense of normality to the children in their education following the fire.”

“We feel we have achieved that so far so we are looking forward to the future,” she said.

“Our aim to is have some kind of rebuild at the school site which will be ready for January 2018, two years after the fire happened.”