Education

More Swansea schools set for investment as part of council improvement plans

Published

2 years ago

14th May 2021

Editor

Gowerton secondary school, YG Bryntawe and Swansea’s special schools could be the next to benefit from record investment in school buildings in the city.

Swansea Council’s current programme will see spend of almost £170m to improve classrooms and cultural and sports facilities for thousands of pupils.

A report to the council’s Education Performance Scrutiny Panel says work is progressing well on four major school investment projects underway in Swansea as part of Band B of the £149.5m QEd / 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme jointly funded by Swansea Council and Welsh Government.

Extensions and remodelling is taking place at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr and Bishopston Comprehensive while new schools are being built for YGG Tan-y-lan and YGG Tirdeunaw (pictured above).

The new £6.9m school for Gorseinon opened last September and the new £9.64m Maes Derw school has just opened in Cockett supporting some of Swansea’s most vulnerable learners.

**The Lord Mayor of Swansea, Cllr Mark Child officially opened the pupil referral unit, Maes Derw in Cockett this week** (Image: Swansea Council)

Business cases are now being developed for work at Gowerton secondary school, YG Bryntawe and Swansea’s special schools while further options are being scoped for the remainder of this phase of the programme.

By the end of this financial year, more than 60 schools in Swansea will have benefitted from the council’s capital maintenance programme with investment of £14.4m since 2019.

The council also secured additional funding of almost £2m from the Welsh Government’s Reducing Infant Class Sizes programme for improvements at Penyrheol, Seaview and Hendrefoilan primary schools and YGG Bryniago.

Further Welsh medium grant funding is also in place for extensions at YGG Y Login Fach and YGG Bryn-y-Mor next year.

Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Improvement, Learning and Skills, Jennifer Raynor said: “Across Swansea old and outdated school buildings are being refurbished or replaced providing improved classrooms and facilities for thousands of pupils and their teachers.

“This improves lessons and gives pupils the very best surroundings in which they can work to achieve their full potential.

“Despite the pandemic of the last 14 months great progress has been made and I would like to thank staff, all our contractors and of course the Welsh Government for their continued support.

“It was especially pleasing in recent months to visit Gorseinon and Maes Derw to see these new schools open and to hear first-hand what a difference they have made to staff and pupils.

“The cabinet is looking forward to seeing the completion of other projects and announcing new ones as we continue to prioritise investment in education, schools and the young people of Swansea.”

(Lead image: Swansea Council)