Under the proposals by Swansea Council, it is expected the new school will open in six years’ time and replace the two existing school buildings.
Both the Blaenymaes and Portmead Primary School sites will remain open until it is ready and it is envisaged existing and new pupils will continue to be taught in their current sites until 2031.
Swansea Council say the new school would be large enough to accommodate all children in the community and it will have part-time nursery and Flying Start provision, along with a Specialist Teaching Facility for those pupils that need additional support.
There will also be better outdoor areas for play, learning and sport.
(Image: Alison Williams)
To begin the process, the first stage is that Blaenymaes and Portmead Primaries would be amalgamated bringing both sites under one headteacher and governing body.
Swansea Council say it is something that has been done successfully in the past, ahead of major school investment projects in the city.
Swansea Council’s cabinet has agreed to consult on the amalgamation and pupils, staff, parents and carers as well as the wider community will be asked for their views as part of the process.
Cabinet will then decide at a future meeting whether to proceed with the amalgamation which could take place in September 2027.
Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Robert Smith, said: “We want to give every pupil in Swansea the best possible chance of achieving their full potential and a major step to support this is to ensure they are taught in the best possible learning environments.
“Better school buildings are needed to meet the current and future needs of pupils at Blaenymaes and Portmead Primary Schools and a brand new school will bring them the benefits enjoyed by other communities where we have built new schools.
“Pupils and their parents can be assured that both the existing school sites will remain open until the new state-of-the-art school is ready and parents and pupils will see very little change until then.
“While the new school building does not form part of this consultation, amalgamating the two schools is a first step towards realising this major investment in the future of the children of the area.
“We want to make sure that we get this right, so if agreed the next stage will then be to progress to detailed design work where we’ll involve staff, pupils, their families and governors.
“This will take time before a final proposal is costed and finance agreed with Welsh Government so building work can begin. This is then estimated to take around two years.”
The current proposed site of the new school will be near to the existing Blaenymaes Primary site.
The council say that no decision will be made on the future use of the existing school sites until after the new school opens.
Swansea Council Leader Rob Stewart added: “Working with our colleagues at Welsh Government we are committed to investing £420m in new and improved schools in the coming years.
“We have already delivered the largest investment in school infrastructure ever seen in Swansea and we will be announcing more proposals in the months to come.”
