PEOPLE will be able to have their say on proposals for a new £50.2m super school for nearly 2,000 youngsters aged four to 18.

The plan to redevelop the Old Hereford Road site of the 479-year-old King Henry VIII School in Abergavenny - the second oldest school in Wales - for nursery, primary, secondary and sixth form education was hailed as a “fantastic” opportunity by county councillors last week.

And Monmouthshire Council’s Cabinet has now given the green light for a consultation process to start this week.

If the development goes ahead as proposed in 2024, it will be the the county’s first all-through school, catering for 30 nursery pupils, 420 primary pupils, 1,200 secondary students aged 11-16 and 200 sixth-formers.

It will also include specialist provision for children with complex neurodevelopmental and learning needs, with accommodation for up to 71 youngsters, bringing the total school roll to 1,921.

The scheme will also allow the town’s Welsh-medium school Ysgol Gymraeg Y Fenni to take over the current site of Deri View Primary, doubling its capacity to 420 pupils.

Cllr Richard John (Welsh Con, Mitchel Troy), Cabinet member for children, young people and Mon Life, said: ““This is a massive investment of £50m in the education of children and young people in the Abergavenny area,” he said.

“It’s impossible to understate the scale of this project.”

Cllr John said the project would also extend provision for children with autistic spectrum disorder in the county, something the council vowed to do when it closed Mounton House School near Chepstow last year.

The then council leader Cllr Peter Fox (Welsh Con, Portskewett) described the project as a “fantastic opportunity”.

“Hopefully this building will be able to serve many generations of children ahead of us,” he said.

Will McLean, chief officer for children and young people, said he hoped people would take part in the consultation on the project, which he said would be “a hugely significant investment for the town”.

The £50.2m investment would be 65 per cent funded by Welsh Government and 35 per cent by the council as part of its 21st century schools programme.

A report to the Cabinet said that in light of rising numbers of students and local house building, creating a new school was favoured over extending the age range at King Henry VIII or Deri View Primary.

“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.”

It says evidence suggests that all-through schools are able to raise attainment by minimising typical dips in pupil performance during transition and through teacher awareness of previous learning.

It is not known at this stage whether it could see the end of the King Henry VIII name after nearly five centuries providing education in the town, but the report says one of the “main benefits” of the proposal is “the redevelopment” of a school site that “is no longer fit for purpose”.

The announcement has already been welcomed by King Henry VIII’s executive headteacher Mrs Elspeth Lewis, who said: “King Henry VIII School’s governing body are delighted that such a significant educational investment is to be made for the children of Abergavenny.

“The prospect of a new school build that supports the development of 21st Century Schooling is exciting and will allow for the full implementation of the curriculum for Wales.

“This innovative project will allow King Henry VIII School not only to sustain the current excellent quality of education but also work alongside Deri View Primary and other local partner primary schools to design an innovative, coherent and inclusive provision that will meet the needs of all our young learners.

“King Henry VIII School governing body look forward to engaging in the consultation process so that Abergavenny secures an outstanding educational provision we can all be proud of.”

People will be able to take part in the consultation on the council’s website at www.monmouthshire.gov.uk