A NEW £13.74 million campus will be built to double capacity after a school’s Victorian building was deemed unfit for purpose.
Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg in Cowbridge, which currently offers up to 210 school places will get a new campus that will double school spaces, eventually taking capacity to 420 pupils by September 2025.
This will also result in additional nursery space with places increasing from 66 to 96 part-time spaces (48 full-time).
The new school will be built on land located on the new residential development to the northwest of Darren Farm (known as Clare Gardens), which is 1.3km away from the existing school premises.
The new site will provide state-of-the-art facilities for staff and learners of Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg and improve access from across the Western Vale with improved transport links.
The current site of Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg is comprised of an original Victorian school building containing a number of demountable blocks.
The building is said to be not fit for purpose and has limited outdoor spaces, with no opportunity to expand the school on the existing site.
As part of the council’s WESP development, Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg’s new campus will also feature an adult education and Welsh language immersion centre for primary school-aged pupils from 7 years old and above, as well as offering Adult and Community Learning Programs after school hours.
Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Cabinet Member for Education, Arts, and Welsh Language said the investment will fund a new bespoke school.
“The council is delighted to see this project progressing to the next stage,” said Cllr Birch.
“It is not possible to expand Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg’s current premises. The 19th century building cannot support a modern learning environment and limited outdoor space restricts the school’s capabilities.
“The £13 million investment will fund a bespoke, brand-new school building fit for 21st century learning, benefiting pupils, staff, and the wider community.
“As a Council, it is vital we support the growing number of Welsh speakers in our communities with the current demand for Welsh medium education and for future generations to come. A new, bigger campus for Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg will support Welsh speakers in our communities long-term.”
Vale Council say the school will be at the heart of the community and will promote Welsh language education, improving accessibility to the Welsh language and promoting bilingualism to support the council’s commitments in its 10-year Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP), and Welsh Government’s ‘Cymraeg 2050’ strategy to target 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050.
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