PROPOSALS for a “much needed” increase in pupil capacity at a school in Blaenau Gwent are expected to be rubber-stamped by senior councillors.

Pen-y-Cwm is a school catering for children and young people aged three to 19 with a wide range of disabilities and difficulties, ranging from severe learning difficulties (SLD) to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as visually and hearing-impaired pupils.

At a special meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Labour Cabinet on Thursday, April 30, senior councillors will be asked to consider two options on the proposal to increase the number of places at Pen-y-Cwm special school following the statutory objections period.

They will either continue with the proposal and formally agree the decision, or reject it.

Cabinet already agreed to increasing the school’s capacity at a meeting in February, allowing the process to proceed to a month-long objections period, which took place from February 26 to March 26.

This followed a public consultation held from December 8 to January 18, which saw 87.5 per cent of respondents — 112 out of 128 — indicate their support for the proposal.

The report said: “The statutory notice/objections period provided the opportunity for anyone wishing to make objections to the school organisation proposal to do so.

“The Welsh Government School Organisation Code stipulates that an objections report, containing a summary of any statutory objections, must then be published along with the proposer’s response to the objections.”

If agreed, the increase in capacity would take place in two stages.

From September next year, the school would be able to take 205 pupils, up from the current maximum of 175.

In 2029/30, capacity would be increased again to 250 pupils.

Since moving into a new school building in 2012, the school roll has increased by 30 per cent.