A PROPOSAL to open a Welsh language secondary school in Newport has moved a step closer.

The Welsh Government has approved Newport City’s outline business case for the new school to be built on the site of Duffryn High School by September 2016 as part of a £17million project.

The proposal is for a Welsh-medium school to be created in one of three school blocks at the high school and will serve pupils moving to secondary education from Newport and South Monmouthshire. It will support Newport’s three Welsh medium primary school’s and Monmouthshire’s Ysgol Y Ffin.

The pupils learning at the Welsh-medium school will be able to use their own pitches and shared use of the sports hall.

Newport City Council cabinet member for education and young people, Councillor Debbie Wilcox said: “I am delighted at the progress that has been made with this project and that we are progressing to the next stage of this important project.”

“Many people have put in a great deal of hard work into ensuring that Welsh-medium secondary education will come to Newport in 2016 and we will launch our formal consultation on March 1- the Patron Saint of Wales day of celebration.”

Monmouthshire council’s chief officer for children and young people, Sarah McGuinness, added: “The close collaboration between Monmouthshire’s 21st Century School team and their counterparts in Newport City council has worked extremely well to bring us to this stage.”

“This will continue to bear fruit until we can celebrate the opening of the new Welsh-medium secondary school in Newport.”

The scheme will be funded by £8million from Newport City council, matched by the Welsh Government and £500,000 from Monmouthshire council, which will also be matched.

The next stage is for a full business case to be prepared and submitted to the Welsh Government for review and approval.

Statutory consultation on the proposal will take place between March 1 and April 14, 2015.