Work is underway on a £4.9m project to build a new dining hall for Townhill Community Primary School along with an all-weather multi-use games area.
A ceremony has been held to mark the start of the Welsh Government funded scheme.
The new hall will ensure that the school can fully deliver the Welsh Government’s universal primary free school meal initiative, which sees every primary pupil in Wales offered a free lunchtime meal.
All pupils at Townhill currently receive a free school meal if they wish and this will continue while work takes place, but the current school kitchen and canteen is too small.
The new hall will also be used for a range of other uses including school performances, increasing space for families to attend concerts, and will be available for community use outside of the normal school day.
The multi-use games area will also be available for community use outside of school hours.
The majority of the funding has come from the Welsh Government’s Universal Free School Meals and Community Focused Schools initiatives, with the school also securing a grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Contractor Andrew Scott is delivering the project which is expected to take around a year to complete.
Swansea Council Leader Rob Stewart said: “The free school initiative in Wales has been a great success, ensuring all pupils in primary schools are offered the option of a free meal at lunchtime.
“This is making a real and important difference to families throughout Swansea and I’m very grateful to our colleagues in Welsh Government for funding it and for their investment in improving catering facilities at Townhill Primary and other schools in the city.”
Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Robert Smith, said: “The new build will provide a suitably-sized multi-purpose dining hall and kitchen for pupils at Townhill, but in the meantime they will all continue to be offered a free meal.”
“The multi-use games area will be an exciting addition to the school, boosting the health and wellbeing of pupils during the day and outside of school hours when it will be available to the community.”
Council Joint Deputy Leader David Hopkins added: “This investment in new facilities will benefit hundreds of pupils at Townhill Primary and many more in the future and I’m delighted that work is underway.”
Chair of Governors Jan Chaplin said: “The Governing Body see this building as a positive contribution to transforming our children’s understanding of dining and healthy eating. Additionally, it is a tangible sign of our aim to become a true community school.”
Headteacher Peter Owen added: “We are delighted that the school and community are going to have such a superb resource.
“We are extremely grateful for the investment and hope it will benefit the children and families in Townhill for many years to come.”
