A little bit of history was made at Wyesham on Thursday when a new state of the art primary school was officially opened by Education Minister Jane Hutt. Before joining pupils to unveil a commemorative plaque, the Minister said: "I think this is the best new school, certainly in Wales, if not further afield. "I know it's a very happy school and every child here has a flying start in life." Kymin View, she said, was an excellent example of the local authority - Monmouthshire County Council - and the Welsh Assembly Government working in partnership, as well as parents, staff, governors and all those in the community who were actively involved in making it happen. "We put £3.5 million towards the building of the new school and that's a lot of money but children need these kind of facilities in order to get the best out of education," she said. Monmouthshire County Council Chairman, Chris Woodhouse, told pupils and staff: "This is a wonderful day for Monmouth and a wonderful day for Wyesham." The council's Cabinet Minister for Education Peter Fox said: "Today we are celebrating a wonderful achievement and a wonderful new school, the like of which many of us have never seen before." Counc Fox said a special "thank you" to project manager Stuart Clapham - Kymin View was his final project before retiring. Speaking on behalf of the governors, Cathy Edge thanked Monmouthshire County Council and the Welsh Assembly for providing the funds for building the school. In the last Estyn inspection, the infants school had been praised for their care of the children, but the accommodation had been criticised - a problem which had now been addressed, she said. Guests, including Monmouth MP David Davies, AM Nick Ramsay, together with the Mayor of Monmouth (Terry Christopher) and members of Monmouthshire County Council, had the opportunity to take a close look at the school's many eco friendly features, with Headteacher Mrs Suzanne Gooding. These include a rainwater collection system, which will be used to maintain the school's landscape and flush the school's toilets and a biomass boiler, powered by wood chips. Natural light will be used where possible to illuminate the classrooms. History was not only made on Thursday but also buried - an assortment of "treasures" were sealed in a box which will remain unopened for 50 years. During the Minister's visit pupils sang a special song written by former Headteacher Bronwyn Hawkins, with music by Robert Jones. As guests left, pupils released bubbles as a final celebration of a red letter day in Wyesham's history.
