Blaenau Gwent Council is building a new Welsh Medium Primary School, inclusive of a Welsh-medium childcare provision, at Chartist Way, Sirhowy Tredegar.
The school build is set for completion for the start of the 2024 academic term, however temporary accommodation has been secured for pupils of Nursery and Reception age signed up for the new school at Bedwellty House, so that they can start this September.
The 210-place ‘seedling’ school is part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to increasing Welsh education opportunities in the County Borough. The school will be developed in line with standards outlined in the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. The Council has secured £13.4million of capital funding via the Welsh Government Welsh Medium Capital Grant and Childcare Capital Grant schemes to progress with the school build.
The new school will initially be federated with the county borough’s existing primary school, Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Helyg, and will share the same Governing Body and Headteacher.
The school will allow the Council to meet increased demand for Welsh-medium childcare and education places in the area. The school build will also incorporate a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), a forest play area, a growing orchard and wild-flower meadows. The school will also be climate conscious with solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.
A play area on the site will also be relocated as part of the project on the same site and be furnished with new play equipment.
Councillor Sue Edmunds, the Council’s Executive Member for People & Education says:
“We continue to move forward with our exciting plans for Welsh Medium education in the borough, so that we can offer parents and carers more choice and meet demand. In order to get the school up and running we have had to source alternative accommodation for the first academic year, and the team has worked hard to secure Bedwellty House and ensure it is fit for purpose for the children who will attend.
“It’s never too late to think about your child accessing Welsh education, and our existing Welsh school now offers immersion learning for any pupil that makes the switch a little into their educational journey.”
Headteacher at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Helyg, Ann Toghill says:
“Everyone at Bro Helyg is looking forward to working in partnership with the new school in order to further develop Welsh-medium education within Blaenau Gwent. Any parents interested in having a conversation about the school are welcome to call me on 01495 355830 for an informal chat or to arrange a visit to the current provision.”
The new school will start out as a ‘seedling provision’ with nursery and reception classes and grow to provision for all years by 2029.
For more information about being bilingual and the Welsh educational journey go to - https://www.blaenau-gwent.gov.uk/en/resident/schools-learning/becoming-bilingual/
