Posted on: Friday 24 May 2024
Pupils and staff joined Lynne Neagle, the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Education and MS for Torfaen for the official sod cutting ceremony for the new Maendy Primary School.
The sod cutting marks a significant milestone in the construction of a new £17.1million, 420 place school which will includes new Childcare and Flying Start facilities.
The new facilities being built on the existing school site is funded by Torfaen Council and the Welsh Government. The investment is part of the council’s approved capital programme and is the next project to be delivered as part of the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme (SCfL), formerly known as the 21stCentury school and colleges programme.
The construction of the new school is scheduled to be completed by July 2025 with community facilities scheduled to open in February 2026.
Pupils will continue learning in the existing school buildings until construction of the new school is complete. The old school buildings will then be demolished, and the school grounds landscaped with two playgrounds, a forest school zone, play equipment and a grass sports pitch.
Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education and MS for Torfaen, thanked Head Boy and Head Girl, Max and Lola, and said: "I'm proud as a Welsh Government we have continued to invest in school building as we recognise the importance of high quality school building for our children and young people, and I must recognise the role of the council who have consistently prioritised funding to deliver first class education facilities."
Cllr Richard Clark, Torfaen Council’s Executive Member for Children, Families and Education, said: “This school is a look to the future. It will be Torfaen's first Net Zero carbon school and will see the capacity of the school rise from 231 to 420 with a 30 place nursery which provides capacity for the predicted growth in pupil numbers. The development will also include facilities for the wider community and will include an additional needs assessment centre, flying start, a play group and childcare facilities."
Cllr Clark also thanked Mrs Thomas for her dedication to the school as a teacher and head teacher over the last 30 years and wished her a happy retirement at the end of this school term.
The total cost of the new school with pre-construction work and design is £17,131,842 with the council contributing £5,220,608. The Welsh Government has committed funding for the remainder with £10,790,865 from the SCfL programme and £1,120,369 from the Childcare Capital Grant.
As part of the former 21st Century Schools Programme, the council has committed nearly £130 million on new, extended and refurbished schools since 2015.