FORMAL consultation will now take place to decrease the capacity of Monmouth Comprehensive School and establish a £1.2 million additional learning needs (ALN) facility.

Monmouthshire County Council’s (MCC) Cabinet met last Wednesday (7th October) where they released their plans for further formal consultation.

The ALN facility will be half funded by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) and the remaining half by Welsh Government. The facility will accommodate 55 students with moderate to severe learning difficulties and will be built alongside the new school building.

Monmouth-based pupils with additional learning needs are currently attending schools in other areas including Torfaen and Hereford.

The number of pupils have remained static for the last three years and MCC currently has a surplus of all four secondary schools at 17.01 per cent.

Welsh Government recommend that where there are more than 10 per cent surplus places in an area, local authorities should review their provision and should make proposals for school reorganisation if this will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of provision.

Councillor Liz Hacket Pain, Cabinet member with responsibility for education, said: “The reduction of surplus is a key criteria of funding in schools.

“We’ve heard a lot of noise recently that Monmouth Comprehensive School will be too small. “Actually, for the catchment area, the school is large enough.”

The consultation period is expected to run from next Monday (19th October) to Sunday 6th December.

A drop-in consultation session is anticipated to be held at Monmouth Comprehensive School on Thursday 12th November from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.