Thriving school’s £9.9m new home officially opened

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart opened the state-of-the-art school in Clase which replaces the old Victorian buildings at Tan-y-lan Terrace in Morriston.

It has been jointly funded by the council and the Welsh Government under the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and has been future-proofed so the number of pupils can grow to meet increased demand for Welsh medium education.

The completed project, which saw pupils move in last month, is part of a £170m investment in school buildings and infrastructure in Swansea.

Cllr Stewart said: “The facilities at the new school are game changing and it was nice to hear from pupils and teachers about how they have settled in and are making the most of their new home.”

Council Cabinet Member for Education Improvement, Learning and Skills, Robert Smith, added: “Swansea Council and our partners in Welsh Government are determined to give our young people every opportunity to reach their full potential and surroundings such as this do just that.

“Together we are making the largest investment Swansea has ever seen in new and improved school buildings and facilities which will benefit many thousands of children not just now but in the years to come.”

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said: “I’m really pleased the Welsh Government could support the new Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tan-y-lan  through our Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, which will create a fantastic learning environment for the children and help meet the increasing demand for Welsh-medium education in the area.”

The school has been built by contractors Kier who safely worked through the pandemic to deliver the project.

As well as having the facilities to allow the school to offer the full curriculum it also has a dedicated nursery, a large fit-for-purpose school hall, vastly improved kitchen facilities and a multi-use outdoor games area .

The design will allow the school to grow in-line with demand and accommodate up to 420 pupils in the future.

Headteacher Berian Jones  said: “We have now settled in following the move and started to enjoy our new home. The pupils have been overwhelmed with how big, how different and how new everything is.

“The facilities are second to none and will allow our amazing team of staff to deliver the New Curriculum for Wales in all its glory to every pupil from nursery to year 6 through the medium of Welsh.

“We cannot thank the teams from Swansea Council, Kier and Welsh Government enough for their support and their investment of this project.

“We are looking forward to share our facilities and to work with our extended community in the future.

“As the headteacher I personally feel that the pupils, staff and community are very fortunate and now have a new home for Welsh education that they deserve.”