New ASD school will be first for city
Posted on Tuesday 24th January 2017
Newport City Council has formally approved the development of a new special school to accommodate pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
This specialist resource, located on the site of the former Gaer Infant School, will provide pupils aged between three and 19 years with specialist provision and structured teaching.
The first of its kind in Newport, the school will aim to provide the highest possible standards of education and support for all its pupils regardless of their level of educational need. Pupils will also have opportunities to work and learn within the community in preparation for their future role as valued members of society.
Primarily, the new school will accommodate the needs of pupils who are resident in Newport, enabling them to be educated near their home. This will have the benefit of reducing the number of out-of-county placements and the sometimes long journeys that pupils are faced with.
The school will be created by adapting and re-modelling the former Gaer Infant building which became vacant following work to consolidate the school on the previous Gaer Junior site.
Pupils with ASD generally need more space to move around in with favourable acoustics to minimise sensory overload. The design and layout of the new school prioritises this need.
Councillor Gail Giles, Newport City Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Young People, said: “This school will be a fantastic new facility for the city and for the young people who need this specialist support.
“We will now be able to give pupils and their families the chance of receiving the best possible education close to home.”
The project has been funded by Newport City Council and the 21st Century Schools programme. It is intended to establish the new school in April for opening in September 2017.