June 6, 2021, South Wales Argus: Newport special school set for £1 million expansion https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19352311.newport-special-school-set-1-million-expansion/
A £1 million [$1.4M U.S.] plan to expand an oversubscribed Newport special school has been put forward by the city council.
Next week, the council’s cabinet member for education, Cllr Deb Davies, will decide whether to press ahead with a consultation on plans to increase the capacity of of Ysgol Bryn Derw by 28 places.
Ysgol Bryn Derw is an English-medium special school based in the Gaer, catering for pupils aged three-19 years who have a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder and associated learning difficulties.
The school currently accommodates 68 pupils, but as of October 2020, there were 71 pupils registered at the school.
A report on the proposal says there is currently a waiting list for this kind of provision in Newport.
To keep pupils with additional learning needs within the city, the council created an additional resource base at Rogerstone Primary School in September last year, but this is also now at full capacity….
Ysgol Bryn Derw at the Gaer originally opened in September 2017 for 48 pupils, and has been expanded to accommodate 68 pupils following a refurbishment of the on-site annex building.
The current plans would see the school able to cater for 96 pupils.
A placement at the school currently costs around £19,500 [$28K] per pupil a year, but this is vastly cheaper than placing students out of the county at a cost of around £46,500 [$66K] per pupil a year….
