PLANS have been announced to build a new Welsh medium school in Monmouthshire following the announcement of a nationwide scheme to boost Welsh medium education.

Cllr Richard John, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Monmouthshire County Council, announced the plans at the council meeting on Thursday.

The scheme, announced by the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning Eluned Morgan AM, will see £46 million allocated from the Welsh Medium Capital Grant and Childcare Offer Capital Grant to boost Welsh medium education across Wales.

The grant will support 41 projects across 16 local authorities and create an additional 2,818 school and childcare places for Welsh medium learners.

Cllr John said: “I can announce proposals to create ‘seedling’ Welsh medium primary school provision in Monmouth with Welsh medium early years provision and bilingual childcare.

“We will also seek to further develop our provision on the Ysgol Y Ffin site in Caldicot. This is 100 percent grant funded from the Welsh Government to the tune of £2million.

“I am grateful for the confidence that the Welsh Government has shown in Monmouthshire to deliver this scheme.

“These proposals will be subject to considerable public consultation and council scrutiny as we develop the detail of this commitment.

“We have a legal obligation to ensure young people have access to Welsh medium education, but for some families the prospect of daily travel to Abergavenny or Caldicot can be off-putting. These proposals will ensure that parents in the Monmouth area can make an informed choice about what is best for their child.”

Ms Morgan said: “These projects will make a significant contribution to the provision of Welsh medium education.

“Having a comfortable, modern, fit-for-purpose environment in which to learn is vital to ensuring young people have the best possible education.

“This extra funding will mean that even more of our students will be able to benefit from excellent facilities to learn through the medium of Welsh.”