A new centre for young people not in mainstream schools could be set up in Caerphilly County Borough as part of a project aiming to offer improved support.
Caerphilly County Borough Council is drawing up plans to improve its support for around 300 such learners, with a new strategy called ‘Every Child’s Entitlement.’
The plan aims to ensure children not in school receive the same standard of education as those in mainstream settings.
Plans will be drawn up for each learner through a collaborative approach, with the project expected to help more young people back into mainstream education where appropriate and reduce the number of school exclusions.
A Centre for Vulnerable Learners will be a key part of the project.
The building will include classrooms, working spaces, calm rooms, a library for students and specialist expressive arts and digital media suites, enabling a wider curriculum offer.
The council’s education scrutiny committee backed the plans at a meeting on Monday (February 24).
While welcoming the scheme, Cllr Roy Saralis questioned how the education centre would be developed without knowing the number of students it would accommodate.
“It is a great idea but what we do not want to end up with is a white elephant,” he said.
Keri Cole, chief education officer at the council, said the authority believes numbers of children not in mainstream schools are still “too high”, but that it is expected these will further reduce with the roll-out of the project.
The design of the centre is still in the early stages, the meeting heard.
Questions over funding the project were also raised, and whether the scheme would result in money being diverted from other school refurbishments.
Cllr Brenda Miles said: “I am concerned about schools being in for a bit of a shock if they are not going to receive funding for refurbishments they have been told they will get.”
But council officers provided assurance that other school projects would not be affected.
Ms Cole added that saving money is not behind the project, and that the aim is to ensure young people can gain the qualifications and skills they require for the future.
The plans will now go before the council’s cabinet next month.