Schools £13m boost (From Penarth Times)

Schools £13m boost

THE VALE council has unanimously approved a £13.4 million investment in St Cyres School in Penarth, with work due to start in autumn 2008.

The investment will fund a combination of demolition and new-build and redevelopment of existing buildings, providing the school with state-of-the-art facilities.

The work is due to be finished by September 2010.

The redeveloped school will be situated on a single site in Penarth. St Cyres has more than 1,500 students, currently on two sites - one in Penarth and one in Dinas Powys - two and a half miles apart. This means teachers have to travel between lessons and many resources have to be duplicated.

The Penarth site is in a particularly bad state and the annual repair bill is a significant drain on school resources.

Brian Lightman, headteacher at St Cyres, said: "The need for replacement buildings at St Cyres School Penarth has been well known for a long time. The governors are aware that the school"s outstanding successes over recent years have been achieved in spite of aged premises, which are not fit for purpose in the 21st century.

"The Vale cabinet proposal is the culmination of a vast amount of work and is warmly welcomed by the governors of St Cyres. Approval by full Council will enable us to commence detailed planning for a new school on a single site, which will provide enormous benefits to the students and the entire local community.

"Governors and the Leadership Team at St Cyres have been working closely with Vale officers and members to try to find a way of addressing these issues," added Mr Lightman

The Vale Council School Investment Strategy also involves the rebuild/redevelopment of secondary schools at Cowbridge and Llantwit Major.

The Council estimates that it will need to find around £68m of capital monies for its strategy.

It has already identified funding of £53m to meet its programme, and it is proposed that the strategy will be phased over 10 years starting in 2006-07.

Council Leader Cllr Jeffrey James said: "The Vale School Investment Strategy represents a major challenge for this Council, but it is an exciting prospect and we are planning on developing modern schools that serve the needs of pupils and the wider community. Despite several meetings over the summer, it is disappointing that the Welsh Assembly Government is not helping us in terms of bridging the shortfall but, nevertheless, we are determined that the strategy will be delivered in full."

Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning Cllr Tony Hampton said: "The learning and teaching environment is greatly influenced by the quality and type of school buildings, and our pupils and teachers need and deserve the best."