Education

Lord Mayor hears pupils are loving life at new Gorseinon school

Published

2 years ago

21st March 2021

Editor

Pupils and staff at Gorseinon Primary have settled in and are loving life in their new school, Swansea’s Lord Mayor has heard.

Cllr Mark Child visited the school this week to officially open the £6.9m development.

Due to current restrictions the socially distanced ceremony took place after pupils had left for the day but children had recorded a video explaining how happy they are and how much they are enjoying their new surroundings.

Headteacher Jason Dodd said moving into the purpose built building which brought the infants and junior classes together on one site had been transformational.

Mr Dodd said: “Everybody is so pleased to be here in this fantastic new building. All our staff love teaching in this school and the children love learning at the school.

“It has been a long time coming but it is a fantastic success and I would like to thank everybody who has been involved in making it happen.”

It is part of a £150m investment in new and better school buildings in Swansea jointly funded by Swansea Council and the Welsh Government under the 21^st Century Schools and Colleges programme – the largest investment in education the city has ever seen.

Pupils at Gorseinon Primary have settled in and are loving life in their new school.
They recorded messages for Swansea's Lord Mayor Mark Child who attended a socially distanced opening ceremony after children had left for the day.
More at: https://t.co/RUEjfLuFpa pic.twitter.com/V6x8LlsO69— Swansea Council (@SwanseaCouncil) March 19, 2021

The Lord Mayor was given a tour of the school with representatives from local contractors Andrew Scott Ltd who safely completed the project in time for this academic year while working within strict Covid guidelines.

Cllr Child said: “This is a great investment in the young people in Gorseinon and it was wonderful to view the messages from the pupils explaining how pleased they are to be here.

“The new school is amazing, it is so spacious and colourful and feels like such a friendly and lively place. It was great to hear how much it is already valued by pupils, staff, parents and the wider community. It is a real asset and a world away from the outdated and unsuitable Victorian buildings where the school was before.”

Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams sent a message played at the official opening.

Ms Williams said: “I am delighted that through our 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme we have been able to support the delivery of Gorseinon Primary with an investment of £7million.

“It’s been a real team effort and the local authority, the community and the hardworking staff should be proud of the inspirational learning environment they’ve created at Gorseinon Primary.”