Council plans to establish its first Welsh medium ALN base

Twm Owen, Local democracy reporter

A Gwent council is planning to establish its first dedicated additional learning needs base for pupils educated in Welsh.

At present pupils who’ve been identified by the council’s Additional Learning Needs, or ALN, panel as meeting the criteria for a specialist placement must either attend English medium provision or go outside of Torfaen.

The borough council is now planning to set up a learning resource base at Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw, in Pontypool which is Gwent’s longest established Welsh medium school and has been an all through three to 19 school since September 2022.

It is intended to set up initial provision for 10 pupils, aged four to 16 which is reception class through to Year 11 of secondary school, following an assessment of demand.

The base will require on-going annual funding of £110,000 which is currently available within the education budget and will cover the anticipated initial demand. Home to school transport cots will come on top and are administered centrally by the council.

Classrooms and additional areas will be created, by the council and Gwynllyw headteacher, reviewing available space within the school while the council and school will also work on a long term plan to support sustained growth and development of the base.

As the existing school buildings will be remodelled to create the new classrooms there is no need to acquire any new buildings and no capital costs involved.

The base won’t have a catchment area and is intended to serve all of Torfaen though if there is available space neighbouring local authorities will be able to request they can purchase vacant places for their pupils.

The council’s Labour cabinet will be asked to approve opening a formal 42 day consultation on the plan when it meets on Tuesday, January 13.

If the cabinet agrees to start the consultation there will be a drop in event at Ysgol Gwynllyw in either January or February while a report presenting the findings of the consultation will likely be presented to the cabinet in February or March.

Statutory notices setting out the intention to open a base could then be published in March or April with the cabinet member set to make a final decision in May or June, unless objections are received which will result in a the decision being taken by the cabinet.