A CONSULTATION has been launched over plans to establish improved facilities for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) at a Newport school.

Newport City Council wants to establish a 10-place Learning Resource Base (LRB) class at Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School for pupils aged between four and 11 years-years-old, with effect from April next year.

The project aims to meet increasing demand for specialist education across Newport following ‘significant’ growth in recent years.

LRBs provide targeted support to pupils based on their needs with the aim of integrating them back into mainstream classes.

Caerleon Lodge Hill currently operates over two sites but a new school building is expected to be completed next month (October).

Pupils are expected to be supported in their transition to the building by January at the latest.

The cost of the rebuild, jointly funded by the city council and Welsh Government as part of the 21st Century Schools programme, is £6.3million.

A total of £64,000 will be allocated to the school’s budget to cover the costs of operating the LRB.

The consultation, launched last week (September 5), says: “There is currently no such Learning Resource Base provision within the Caerleon or St Julian’s cluster areas.

“This proposal will therefore benefit pupils living locally but is not exclusive to those living within this cluster area.

“It can be accessed by pupils across the city to support specific education needs in an appropriate and secure environment.”

Three options are being considered in the consultation, with the preferred one to establish the LRB for pupils with ALN.

The other options are to provide the new school without the LRB or to provide the class for pupils with specific additional learning needs.

The consultation, which closes at midnight on October 16, is an opportunity for people to learn about the proposal, ask questions and make comments that will be recorded and summarised in a consultation report.

The report will be published on the council website and will be considered when the council decides the way forward.

Drop-in sessions will also be held where people can meet with council officers about the plans.

The next will be held at Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary, in Lodge Hill, Caerleon, on Thursday, September 27 from from 3.45pm to 5.45pm.

Find out more information at newport.gov.uk.