SITE VISIT
New special school
CHILDREN currently taught in hallways and doorways at an overcrowded special needs school will benefit from a £13m investment this autumn.
The “unsuitable” facilities at Ysgol Hafod Lon in Y Ffôr and Uned Tŷ Aran in Dolgellau have prompted an investment in a new facility to open in November in Penrhyndeudraeth.
Ysgol Hafod Lon Newydd is designed to strengthen the education and care prospects of youngsters with special education needs and act as a Welsh medium centre of excellence.
The multi-million pound project, jointly funded by the Welsh Government’s 21st Century School programme and Gwynedd Council, includes a 100-place Welsh language school and six-bedroom residential care unit.
The decision was made to build the new school after the provisions at the current establishments were branded ‘outdated’ and ‘unfit’ due to a surplus of children and limited facilities to accommodate so many pupils.
Donna Roberts, head of Ysgol Hafod Lon, said: “The present facil- ities are completely unsuitable due to a lack of resources and room.
“The existing school caters to more than 50 children despite being built to accommodate just 26, resulting in many children being taught in hallways and school entrances, which just isn’t acceptable.
“Its facilities are also very outdated, no longer meeting the needs of learners in the 21st Century.
“Bringing the present facilities together will not only reduce the number of students having to travel outside of Gwynedd for care, but will also enable us to deliver more robust provisions better suited to individual learning needs.
“With state of the art facilities, top teaching talent and a central location, our new facility will change the lives of the special education needs children in the region, providing pupils with a richer and more tailored educational experience.”
The new school will be around five times the size of the present sites and will include hydrotherapy, rebound therapy and sensory facilities as well as rooms for external partners to provide specialist treat- ments.
The centre will also include dedicated outside play facilities, not offered at the existing schools.
The idea for the school was first put forward by Gwynedd Council in 2010 and construction began in February 2015.
The existing schools will remain open until the new provision is complete.
Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Education, said: “This is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when authorities, schools and families work together.
“Building Ysgol Hafod Lon Newydd will have a hugely positive impact for the children and their families.
“It will improve educational facilities in the area, delivering 21st Century School standards that will be located in a central location for the rural communities of the Meirionnydd and Dwyfor areas of Gwynedd.
“This is an excellent investment by Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government that is set to serve the pupils and the community well into the future.”