Plans to build a new £18 million secondary school have moved a step closer.
At a meeting on February 19, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet agreed to publish a statutory notice detailing proposals to close Oakdale and Pontllanfraith comprehensive schools and replace them with a new building near Oakdale Business Park.
The plans are part of the council’s rationalisation plan to reduce the number of spare school places.
The new school will have a capacity of 900 pupils as well as provision of special needs of around 50 pupils.
It is also proposed to revise catchment areas to ensure there are two broadly similar sized schools in the region in the future – Blackwood Comprehensive and Oakdale Plateau.
The suggested changes include proposals to make Libanus and Markham Primary Schools as feeder schools to Blackwood Comprehensive rather than Pontllanfraith Comprehensive.
Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Following the extensive consultation on these proposals, I am pleased that we are entering the next phase.
“We are committed to ensuring our pupils have top class educational facilities in modern, fit-for-purpose buildings, and I believe these proposals provide an exciting opportunity for pupils now and into the future.”
The council’s statutory notice gives the public at least 28 days to voice objections to the plans.
An initial public consultation on the plans ended on ended on January 31 this year.
The changes come as part of the council’s 21st Century Schools plan that secured £26 million funding from the Welsh Government – a sum matched by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The new school and closure plans will help reduce the amount of surplus places in the area from 22.1% to 16.9%, amid growing demand for Welsh language education in the borough.
Part of the project includes the enhancement of Welsh language provision that begun with the reopening in September last year of the former St Ilan Comprehensive site as part of Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni.
Another Ldbour mess. Build a school in the middle of nowhere. What a complete joke this council are