Commenting on proposals to close Cymer Afan School and for pupils to go to Ysgol Newydd Margam, which are due go to consultation later this year, local MP Stephen Kinnock said,

“Cymer Afan School holds a special place in the hearts of communities living in Cymmer, Gwynfi and Glyncorrwg. Indeed, generations of families in the Upper Afan Valley have been educated at the school. It also has a first-class academic reputation, and is currently recognised by Estyn, the Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, as a good school. The proposal to close Cymer Afan, and for pupils to travel to Ysgol Newydd Margam, is therefore a bitter blow.

“But having seen how the Upper Afan Valley communities have forcefully and successfully responded to other attempts to remove facilities from the valley, such as the recent proposal to close Cymmer Swimming Pool, I know that they will once again come together to put forward alternatives to save Cymer Afan.

“I know that the Upper Afan Valley communities will do whatever it takes to save their school, and I’ll be standing ready to support and assist them, in any way that I can.

“There are a number of very serious concerns with these proposals, which would not only lead to the loss of secondary school provision in the Upper Afan Valley, pupils will have to travel all the way to Margam and back, every day. These profoundly worrying issues must be adequately addressed, because the children of the Upper Afan Valley need and deserve the best possible education.

“But first and foremost the views of our communities must be heard, loud and clear. I am therefore urging residents to engage as actively as possible with this consultation, and to feed into the process every step of the way.