MONMOUTHSHIRE council has set out plans to create a new school for pupils aged four to 19-years-old in Abergavenny.

The county council is set to launch a consultation on proposals for its first all-through school on the site of King Henry VIII School.

Under the plans, the school would cater for 30 nursery pupils, 420 primary pupils, 1,200 students aged 11-16 and 200 sixth formers.

Specialist provision for children with complex neurodevelopmental and learning needs will also be included, with accommodation for 71 pupils provided.

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A council report says the size of the new school has drawn up in light of rising numbers of students at King Henry VIII School and proposed housing developments in the Abergavenny area.

The school would replace Abergavenny’s Deri View Primary School and King Henry VIII School, which would each form the primary and secondary elements of the new development on the same site.

This would also enable Welsh medium school Ysgol Gymraeg Y Fenni to move to the current site of Deri View Primary School, allowing it to expand its provision.

The proposal would bring an investment of £50.2 million, with 65 per cent of the cost funded by Welsh Government and 35 per cent by the council as part of its 21st century schools programme.

A report says that creating a new school was favoured over extending the age range at King Henry VIII or Deri View Primary Schools.

“In order to achieve our stated aim of establishing Monmouthshire’s first all-through school we believe that closing both schools and establishing a new school is the fairest and most equitable approach,” it says.

“There is a risk that if one school has its age range extended and one school closes it could be perceived as a takeover.”

Evidence suggests all-through schools are able to raise attainment by minimising typical dips in pupil performance during transition and teacher awareness of prior learning, a council report says.

It adds that such schools have seen “significant drops” in exclusions and improvements in pupil behaviour.

The new school would also benefit children with complex neurodevelopmental and learning needs by reducing travel to other schools and enabling them to remain in their local school and community.

A report adds that one of the “main benefits” of the proposal is “the redevelopment of a school that is no longer fit for purpose”.

Monmouthshire council’s cabinet will decide on opening a consultation on the plans at a meeting next Wednesday, April 14.