The Council’s Cabinet Member for Education has visited the construction site in Clydach Vale where a new 3-19 school for pupils with Additional Learning Needs is being built. The school will open in 2026 with first-class facilities, and will greatly increase the number of ALN school places in the County Borough.
Councillor Rhys Lewis was welcomed to the site by project contractor Morgan Sindall Construction on Wednesday, August 20. He saw the progress that has been made since construction work started on site at the end of March 2025 – which followed planning permission being granted earlier that month.
Also among the visitors were Council Cabinet Member, Councillor Mark Norris; Member of the Senedd for the Rhondda, Buffy Williams; the recently-appointed Executive Headteacher of the new school, Aron Bradley; and the Council’s Director of Education.
In 2024, Cabinet agreed to establish Rhondda Cynon Taf’s fifth ALN school, committing to a major investment that responds to the increasing number of learners, growing complexity of pupils’ needs, and capacity pressures at the four existing ALN schools. The Pavilions, formerly the Council headquarters, was agreed as the best option for the new school’s location. Further details about the school’s facilities are included at the bottom of this news update.
On Wednesday, the group toured the construction site and received a works progress update. Construction is progressing well thanks to the good weather, with building foundations, drainage, and car park works advancing quickly. A major milestone was reached at the beginning of August 2025 with the start of the steel frame installation for the new building. Wednesday’s guests to the site participated in signing the frame, to celebrate this important stage of work.
The contractor has also completed the pit bases for the hydrotherapy pool and the trampoline respectively, which will be integral features of the specialist provision that the new ALN school offers. The new car park area is complete, while construction of the access road to the school site is progressing. Planned progress over the next few weeks will see the installation of metal composite decking across both floor levels.
Complementing the main construction work, Morgan Sindall is also delivering key social value projects locally, focusing on lasting benefits in the community. The contractor will deliver a range of educational engagement activities with local young people, including at Ysgol Hen Felin – by providing construction-themed learning sessions, career insights, and practical experiences.
The contractor is also working closely with Cambrian Village Trust on several community initiatives supporting health, wellbeing and inclusion. Young people from the Penrhys Youth Group are also receiving key employability support through training, skills development and employment pathways. These activities are being supported by Bluewater Recruitment and Trivallis.
Construction of the new school is benefitting from a 75% contribution from the Welsh Government via its Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.
Councillor Rhys Lewis, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and the Welsh Language, said: “It was fantastic to see the early progress being made to build a first-class Additional Learning Needs school in Clydach Vale, and I’d like to thank Morgan Sindall for their warm welcome, and for all attending guests for showing their support for the project. Within the past year, the Council has demolished the site, secured planning and SAB permission, and now started construction work – highlighting our commitment to this multi-million pound investment by autumn 2026.
“Cabinet Members supported this fifth ALN school for the County Borough in response to the considerable capacity pressures at our existing schools, with demand only expected to further grow in the future. All options to expand our existing ALN schools have been explored, and building a new school is the only feasible alternative to provide extra capacity. The new school will cater for a wide range of needs, in a modern, innovative and engaging setting.
“Additional investment in ALN provision by the Council has seen a new Early Years satellite base at the former Tonyrefail Community Centre building, along with planned developments at Buarth y Capel in Ynysybwl, which is a satellite base for Ysgol Ty Coch. Both projects received final approval from Cabinet during September 2024 and learners are already enjoying the benefits of the new Early Years provision.
“The new ALN school in Clydach Vale will become the latest joint investment with Welsh Government, whose vital support continues to help us bring new opportunities for young people. In the 2024/25 academic year, we delivered new buildings for Penygawsi Primary, Pontyclun Primary, Llanilltud Faerdref Primary, and YGG Llyn y Forwyn – alongside a £79.9m investment across Greater Pontypridd. Work is currently ongoing to build a new primary school in Glyn-coch as part of the next tranche of investment, which will represent a funding commitment of £414m across nine projects over the next six years.
“The Council will keep residents fully up-to-date with the progress on building the new ALN school for Clydach Vale, providing updates at key milestones in the months ahead. I can’t wait to see further progress made, to transform the site into a state-of-the-art facility that our communities can be very proud of.”
The new school will provide English Medium ALN facilities for 176 pupils, in a two-storey building that meets ‘Net Zero’ Carbon in Operation standards. Solar photovoltaic panels on the roof will provide energy for the school’s use.
The building will have 23 classrooms, a hydrotherapy pool, a wellbeing centre, and other supporting spaces. There will also be a secure roof terrace, outdoor learning and play areas, a 79-space car park (with EV charging points), a ‘drop-off/pick-up’ area, and a covered bicycle storage. All woodland around the site will be retained, while a Sustainable Drainage System will be installed.
