A major investment to build an impressive new teaching block complete with canteen, kitchen and hall, together with new outdoor sports facilities and refurbish some existing classrooms, has been completed at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr.

Minister for Finance and Local Government, Rebecca Evans, officially opened the £6.7m project this week.

It has been jointly funded by Swansea Council and the Welsh Government under the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and is part of a £170m investment in new and improved school facilities in Swansea.

Council Cabinet Member for Education Improvement, Learning and Skills, Robert Smith, welcomed Ms Evans to the school.

He said: “It is yet another fantastic schools project that has been delivered safely despite the pandemic and will benefit thousands of pupils.

“More pupils are attending the Welsh medium primary feeder schools for Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr so this investment is needed to ensure we can meet the demand for when pupils move on to secondary school.

“Swansea Council is committed to providing our young people with the best education possible and this investment at YG Gwyr is part of a much wider £170m being spent on improving schools across Swansea, which is the biggest investment of its kind that Swansea has ever seen.”

Rebecca Evans said: “I am delighted that the Welsh Government has supported the new facilities at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr through our Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. The changes will create a fantastic learning environment, with outdoor facilities which will also be accessible to the wider local community.

“This investment will also help to meet the increasing demand for Welsh medium school places in the area, helping us on our journey to one million Welsh speakers by 2050.”

Contractors Kier Construction delivered the project which has eight new classrooms along with a new hall providing a vastly improved dining area and served by a new school kitchen.

New state-of-the-art sports facilities including a multi-use games area, running track, 2G and 3G training pitches, are also proving popular and are being well used.

There has also been improvements and remodelling to some existing buildings.

Acting Headteacher Jeffrey Connick said: “The new build is already making a really positive difference and our staff and pupils say it has changed the vibe at the school.

“The classrooms are bright and modern and the dining area is such an improvement on the facilities we had before.

“The new sports facilities are being very well used by our PE department, by our sports and athletic teams and by the pupils during their break times.”