A ROAD that runs through a rural village will no longer be used to determine which primary school local youngsters should attend. 

For years children living on the northern side of the road in the centre of Llandenny have been in the catchment of Raglan Primary School which is just over three miles to the north. 

Their school pals, and neighbours who live on the opposite side of the lane, which isn’t much wider than a single carriageway, have however been entitled to places at Usk Church in Wales Primary, which is a little over four miles to the south, and classed as the local school. 

At present there are three families living on the Raglan Primary side of the road whose school age children currently attend Usk Church in Wales School. 

As a result they have to pay for discretionary school transport to Usk – as the existing catchment rules mean they are only entitled to a free school bus pass to travel to Raglan – while youngsters on the opposite side of the road travel on the same bus for free. 

Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet member for education Martyn Groucutt has now agreed to amend Usk Church in Wales School’s catchment area to include the northern side of Llandenny from September 1, 2024. 

The council consulted the three families affected who all supported the change with one saying: “The current catchment, splitting the village in half, depending on which side of the street you live on, has caused us issues in respect to accessing school transport for the last seven years.” 

The pupils will now be entitled to free school transport to Usk but the authority will also create “dual registration” for transport purposes as Raglan is the nearest school but Usk would be the catchment school. In future pupils would be eligible for transport to both schools. 

The council has transport contracts running to both schools and its passenger transport unit confirmed the change wouldn’t result in any financial implication.