Green light for new facilities at Islwyn High School

Islwyn High School in Oakdale is set to benefit from a new multi-use games area (MUGA) and the development of a new a specialist pupil support area.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet unanimously approved proposals to provide financial support of £145,000 for the project from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund.

Caerphilly Homes, the Council’s housing division, will be project managing development of the new facilities.   The MUGA will replace the one located at the former Oakdale Comprehensive School site, as the brownfield site is being transformed by Caerphilly Homes into an ambitious mixed-tenure housing development.

The new MUGA will be located within the grounds of the school, with the community able to access the facility outside school hours. Located in the same area, the school will develop a multi-disciplinary pupil support facility that that will enable and empower pupils to learn, change and manage their lives more constructively.

Richard (Ed) Edmunds, Corporate Director Education and Corporate Services, said “When plans were proposed for the development on the former Oakdale Comprehensive School site, a commitment was made that a MUGA facility would be retained within the community.

“Islwyn High School’s Governing Body were incredibly supportive of the Council’s approach to relocate the MUGA within its grounds. The school’s existing vision to develop a much needed specialist pupil support area can also now be progressed with the facilities complementing one another perfectly.

“The School and its Governing Body have worked in partnership with a number of Council departments to enable this development to progress. The collaborative approach that has been taken thus far has been first class and I know we are all looking forward to getting these much needed facilities built and put into use.”

Gavin Bryce, Chair of Governors, and Jason Hicks, Headteacher, added “We are very grateful to the Local Authority’s teams for supporting this important initiative. We very much see ourselves as a community school and embraced the chance to provide a home for the new MUGA facility for community use. Adding to this, the ability to develop a specialist pupil support area just makes this development even more significant. It will give us the ability to provide additional tailored interventions to some of our pupils, many of whom have continued to need greater support post the COVID-19 pandemic.  This will be a sustainable provision that will benefit vulnerable pupils in the Islwyn community for many years to come.”