AN Abergavenny school deemed by inspection agency Estyn to be one of the top two primaries in Monmouthshire is struggling to fill classes amid claims that parents are being misled into sending their children to a neighbouring school.

Despite gaining a coveted five grade ones and two grade twos in its Estyn inspection in June 2009, Llantilio Pertholey Church in Wales School has struggled to fill its classes since neighbouring Deri View School opened in 2005.

Now only the top two year groups in the school are full, with numbers falling across all other years - a sharp turnaround for the successful school which before the reorganisation of primary education in Abergavenny was one of the most heavily subscribed of all local schools and was granted WAG funding to employ additional teaching staff to satisfy the demand for places.

As a result of falling numbers within the catchment area some 50 per cent of Llantilio's pupils are currently drawn from neighbouring areas but fears have been expressed that the LEA - Monmouthshire County Council - is failing to highlight to parents looking for school places for their children, that Llantilio Pertholey is not full.

Former governor at Llantilio Pertholey, Lesley Flynn, whose four grandchildren attended the school, echoed the findings of Estyn inspectors and praised the teaching staff who work hard to instill a happy family ethos into the daily life of the school which also has a wide range of extra curricular activities ranging from sports teams to a knitting club and breakfast club.

In recent years, the school has gained acclaim for its choir, which has produced two CDs, while its work to improve the environment has earned it the prestigious eco school Green Flag status.

Speaking to The Chronicle, Mrs Flynn expressed her fears that parents, especially those whose children attend nursery at Deri View Primary were being guided towards other schools.

"Although early years provision at Llantilio Pertholey is excellent it does not have a nursery and parents appear to have been led to believe that if their children attend nursery at Deri View they have to stay there," she said.

"I've spoken to the parents of one little boy who were told by Monmouthshire County Council that they had to send their son to Deri View School where he attended nursery, despite only living 200metres from Llantilio Pertholey School.

"They fought the decision and eventually won the right to send their son to the school of their choice," she said.

"Councillor Peter Fox told a meeting of MCC's cabinet that the LEA had made a mistake in building such a big school at Deri View.

"Why then should other schools like Llantilio Pertholey pay for this so that MCC can fill its white elephant?" said Mrs Flynn.

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"Deri View is an excellent school with dedicated staff serving one of the most deprived areas in Monmouthshire but it's wrong that other schools in the area like Llantilio Pertholey, Llanover and Govilon should suffer," she added. She also hit out at the lack of publicity afforded the school by Monmouthshire County Council, saying that it had taken more than ten years of fighting by school governor Councillor Roger Harris to have a school sign erected, and even when this was done, it was incorporated into a sign pointing to the Greystones estate. "Many people don't know the school is there, they assume that it's a long way from the town instead of in the Mardy, just a short distance from Abergavenny. One recent visitor to the school, who lives in the town, said she had no idea it was there," said Mrs Flynn. Llantilio Pertholey is also the only school in Aberghavenny not to have a 20mph zone surrounding it. I was also horrified to read Councillor Brian Hood, who was fighting to keep Llanfair Kilgeddin Church in Wales School open, stating on the front page of The Abergavenny Chronicle last year, that if it closed, parents who wanted to send their children to a church school would have to travel to Magor when Llantilio Pertholey is a Church in Wales School.""I just find it very sad that Llantilio Pertholey is a lovely school which isn't being treated fairly," said Mrs Flynn.