Staff and pupils in Pontyclun have welcomed the Council’s Cabinet Member for Education on a recent visit – to celebrate the progress being made towards constructing their brand new primary school building by 2025.
Councillor Rhys Lewis visited Pontyclun Primary School on Friday, March 1, where the brand new facilities are being constructed on the existing school site. The investment is being jointly funded by the Council and Welsh Government through the Mutual Investment Model, which is the revenue funding stream of the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.
Pontyclun Primary School will receive a new two-storey building with capacity for up to 480 pupils (plus nursery). The building will achieve Net Zero Carbon in operation, and provide classrooms for age groups from nursery to Year 6. There will be a central ‘heart-space’ area and main hall, along with supporting spaces. Externally, there will be hard play areas, two Multi Use Games Areas, an informal play area, parking spaces, EV charging and cycle storage.
Good progress has been made since work started on site last year, with the foundations of the new building being completed during December 2023. This has included building the steel ventilation chimneys at ground level, ready for their installation. Attention has since turned to constructing the new building’s steel frame – and this task has recently been completed by the Council’s contractor, representing an important landmark in the construction phase.
Subsequently, the first-floor composite slab has also been completed, while the ground floor slab is currently progressing along with works to the roof.
During the visit, Councillor Lewis met a group of pupils from the school, toured the development site, and joined staff and pupils in signing the steel frame of the new building in celebration of the progress that has been made so far. The group was hosted by construction contractor Morgan Sindall, and was joined by delivery partner WEPco and representatives of Welsh Government and the Development Bank of Wales.
Councillor Rhys Lewis, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Youth Participation and the Welsh Language, said: “I was delighted to join staff and pupils from Pontyclun Primary School as we toured the works site for their brand new school. The investment has been made possible thanks to significant support from Welsh Government, as we jointly invest in first-class Education facilities fit for the 21st Century – that make a real difference in our schools and communities across the County Borough.
“We’re entering very exciting times with many of our ongoing projects set to be completed in the next two years. The Pontyclun Primary project is being delivered alongside new school buildings for Llanilltud Faerdref Primary and Penygawsi Primary, all under the Mutual Investment Model. The Band B investment under the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme is also delivering a £75.6m investment across Greater Pontypridd in 2024, with major school investments in Cilfynydd, Beddau, Hawthorn and Rhydyfelin.
“In addition, the Council and Welsh Government are investing in a new school for Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Llyn y Forwyn in Ferndale this year, while a design lead has recently been appointed to further develop plans for a brand new school for Glyn-coch, under the Sustainable Schools Challenge.
“It was fantastic to meet staff and pupils in Pontyclun, who gave a very warm welcome and were excited to show off the progress being made with building their new school. I enjoyed taking part in signing the building’s steel frame, to celebrate completing the early stages of the construction phase. I’m looking forward to seeing the site being transformed in the months ahead, to develop excellent education facilities and a community hub for generations to come.”
Work on site began in 2023, to install temporary learning accommodation and complete the required demolition work that enabled the main construction phase to start. The new school building will be fully-constructed in spring 2025 when it will open to pupils and staff. The wider development is then scheduled to continue, with external works being completed later in the year.
