IMPROVED facilities for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) could be built at Newport school to meet increased demand.

Newport City Council wants to establish a 10-place ‘Learning Resource Base’ at Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School, a report reveals.

Learning Resource Bases provide targeted support to pupils based on their needs with the aim of integrating them back into mainstream classes. Caerleon Lodge Hill, which was formed in 2013 from the former infant and junior schools of the same name, is currently undergoing a £6.3million rebuild as part of the 21st Century Schools programme.

The school was prioritised for redevelopment after a building condition survey placed the school as the primary school in the poorest condition across all Newport schools.

The new school building, which is due to open in October, will benefit from a new classroom – and it is within this space that the council wants to put the proposed Learning Resource Base.

A total of £64,000 will be allocated to the school’s budget to cover the costs of operating the Learning Resource Base. “There is an on-going demand for primary Learning Resource Base placements across Newport,” says the report.

“The council is committed to providing Learning Resource base Facilities in all new school builds as this supports a more inclusive approach for pupils with ALN,

“Learning Resource Bases are attached to mainstream schools and provide learning environments that have fewer pupil numbers with enhanced adult ratios.

“They are generic in nature and meet the needs of pupils with a range of difficulties.”

Currently there are no Learning Resource Bases at schools within the Caerleon cluster, or the neighbouring St Julian’s Cluster.

The council say the Learning Resource Base will not have any detrimental impact on the mainstream education provided at Caerleon Lodge Hill, and that it will have ‘long-term benefits’ for both the school and the wider community.

Councillor Debbie Wilcox, leader of Newport City Council, is expected to approve the launch of a formal consultation into the proposals next week.

Consultees, which will include the children and young people who are likely to be affected by the changes, will have their say between July and September.

A final decision on the proposal could be made in December, and the implementation of the Learning Resource Base could happen in April next year.