Remembrance: Head teacher Allan Raybould at the Jasmine Allen memorial garden

A GWENT headmaster yesterday paid tribute to a pupil who died in a school minibus crash which left other pupils injured and shocked.

Allan Raybould, head teacher at Newbridge Comprehensive School, spoke of his pride in the pupils who gave evidence in court during the trial of the minibus driver.

Pupil Jasmine Allen, 12, died on May 16 last year when the minibus overturned on the A472 between Hafodyrynys and Crumlin.

On Wednesday, the driver, Christopher Cushing, 38, of Ash Place, Bargoed, was cleared of causing her death by dangerous driving, but convicted of careless driving.

He walked free from Cardiff crown court with a £250 fine and six-month driving ban - provoking an outcry from Jasmine's family, the parents of youngsters who survived the crash, and politicians.

Mr Raybould told the Argus of his admiration for his pupils who were on the bus, particularly those who relived the tragedy by giving evidence during Cushing's trial.

"The children coped with it extremely well and showed a great deal of resilience, but it is something they are going to have to live with and cope with for years to come," he said.

"I was very proud of them."

Mr Raybould, who has been head for 15 years, said a memorial garden has been created in the school grounds for Jasmine's friends to reflect on happy times with their classmates.

"We wanted a permanent tribute to her because we felt it was important to have somewhere her friends can go and remember her," he said.

"The memorial garden is in the very heart of the school."

Mr Raybould revealed that the first he knew of the fatal crash was when a pupil, whose friend survived, went to his office early in the morning and told him what had happened.

"It set in train the most appalling day for the school," said Mr Raybould.

"It was an absolute shock, you freeze and think `this can't possibly be happening'."

He said Jasmine was a model pupil, and mourned `the waste of a young life'.

"She was a young girl with her whole life in front of her and that life has been snatched away," said the head.

"It was an overwhelming blow for the school, but whatever things were like here, you knew it was so much worse for her parents and that things will never be the same for them."