Welcome for ‘eye-watering’ investment plan for borough’s schools

PLANS to spend £85m on new schools and new school buildings across Rhondda Cynon Taf have been welcomed by councillors.

The council recently announced its latest 21st Century Schools plans in a report that was discussed and approved by cabinet on Monday.

The proposed projects include modernising and replacing the majority of the existing buildings at Ysgol Llanhari, creating a new 3-19 all through school by on the existing Ysgol Cwm Rhondda site or building a brand new school on an alternative site and a new English medium primary provision for Glyncoch to replace the two existing schools subject to statutory consultation and decision making processes.

They also include a new special school to cater for the increased demand for the council’s special school provision with a report on this proposal to be put before cabinet shortly and new schools for Penrhys Primary, Maesybryn Primary in Llantwit Fardre and Tonysguboriau Primary in Talbot Green.

Cabinet will consider a separate report which provides more detail on the proposal to build a new special school within RCT.

The aim is to help relieve pressures across existing special schools including projected further rises in pupil numbers along with the limitations of current school sites.

It comes after the council carried out a review of RCT’s special schools and the report said that pupil numbers have risen to 600 in September 2021 which is up from 577 last year and 483 in 2013/14 with the expectation being that pupil numbers will continue to grow along with a future increase in the complexities of the learners’ needs.

The report concludes that the only feasible alternative to meet pressures is to build a new special school – increasing the number in Rhondda Cynon Taf from four to five.

The plan is for it to be a highlyspecialist special school with access to therapeutic facilities, equipment and resources and the council is looking at potential sites for it.

In 2017, approval was given to submit a Strategic Outline Plan (SOP) to the Welsh Government to secure funding through Band B of the 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme.

The SOP outlined the council’s ambitions to continue to invest in education throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf, and an approval in principle was secured from the Welsh Government totalling £167m.

Now the SOP has been revised with the new programme totalling £252m allowing a further £85m to be invested in the borough’s schools.

Councillor Gareth Caple described it as an “unprecedented” and “eye watering” package of investment saying he was delighted to see the investment in Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda.