The secondary element of Tonyrefail’s brand new 3-19 school has reached the latest landmark in its construction – and pupils have visited the site to see for themselves the progress being made.

Tonyrefail Community School will form in time for the 2018/19 academic year, to provide current Tonyrefail Comprehensive and Tonyrefail Primary pupils with state-of-the-art new facilities. A huge £44m education and leisure investment is being delivered in the local community, as part an £85m transformation in education across Rhondda and Tonyrefail through #RCTinvest and the Welsh Government’s 21^st Century Schools initiative.

Brand new primary and secondary buildings are being constructed, while the existing Grade-II Listed Victorian building is being sympathetically remodelled. The secondary element of the development will be completed in spring 2019.

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The secondary element of Tonyrefail’s brand new 3-19 school has reached the latest landmark in its construction – and pupils have visited the site to see for themselves the progress being made. Read more here: https://t.co/g2v8XsfTmP pic.twitter.com/op59W4oHWu

— RCT Council (@RCTCouncil) July 20, 2018

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On Friday, July 13, the secondary school element of the project reached its latest milestone, following the completion of the roof covering. The project team celebrated with a ‘topping out’ ceremony – while they welcomed pupils from Tonyrefail Comprehensive School for a tour of the fast-changing site.

Taking advantage of the excellent recent weather, good progress has been made with the brickwork and cladding to the elevations of the secondary school. Internally, wide corridors and stairs are built, rooms have been formed, and some mechanical and electrical services are now installed.

New windows are being installed into the existing Listed building, and rooms are being prepared for the decorations and floor coverings.

Meanwhile, the primary element of the 3-19 school is almost complete, and the building will be handed over to the Council in August, to install new furniture ahead of pupils arriving for the new school year in September 2018.

Councillor Joy Rosser, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “The huge £85m investment in education across Rhondda and Tonyrefail is being delivered thanks support from #RCTinvest and the Welsh Government – and it will transform the opportunities available to our young people. The 3-19 school development in Tonyrefail is really starting to take shape, and will be a fantastic facility for future generations of staff and pupils to enjoy.

“The secondary element will benefit from a brand new building as well as the remodelled Listed building, while the primary element will also benefit from a state-of-the-art new school. These are being delivered as part of a £44m Education and Leisure investment in Tonyrefail, which has seen improvements made at the local Leisure Centre, including a new all-weather 3G sports pitch.

“It is fantastic to see the progress being made at the secondary school, with the roof coverings now complete as the Council works towards a Spring 2019 completion. The primary building has progressed very well, and will be handed over to the Council for pupils to enjoy from September 2018.

“Pupils took the opportunity to visit the secondary school site on Friday, to see the progress being made on the excellent facilities that they will shortly benefit from. It really is an exciting time for education in the area, and I am looking forward to the final stages of the development over the coming months.”