Plans for purpose-built special school take big step forward

The city currently has two special schools - Ysgol Crug Glas which has 55 places for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties in Dyfatty and Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn that has 195 places for pupils with moderate to severe learning difficulties and for pupils with severe autism.

Both are run at maximum capacity and both have some buildings that date back to the 1960s, with Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn split over two sites in Morriston and Penlan.

It is proposed to build a brand new state-of-the-art school with an estimated cost in excess of £40m to replace these, adjacent to the existing Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn site on Mynydd Garnllwyd Road.

It will be the biggest single investment in any school in Swansea and is part of a £176m schools capital investment programme, the largest the city has ever seen.

As well as hugely improved facilities, the new school, that could open in 2028, would have an additional 100 places to accommodate a rising demand for special school places in Swansea and reduce the need for some pupils to be placed into independent and out-of-county schools.

It would also reduce pressure on mainstream schools and their Specialist Teaching Facilities.

As part of the process Ysgol Crug Glas and Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn would be amalgamated but both would remain open on existing sites without any disruption to pupils until the new school is ready in five years' time.

Swansea Council has been speaking with governors as well as other interested parties for some time and at their meeting on Thursday cabinet members agreed to start formal consultation on the proposals.

Cabinet Member for Education and Learning, Robert Smith, said: "We want to provide first class facilities for pupils in Swansea with additional learning needs and at the same time ensure we have enough places to meet demand in the future which is why we are proposing the largest investment in our special school service that we have ever seen.

"We want to reassure parents, carers and pupils that nothing will change for children now. We have successfully amalgamated other schools in recent years ahead of investing in brand new accommodation. There will be no change to daily routines for pupils at Ysgol Crug Glas and Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn before the new state-of-the-art school is ready to open which will not be until 2028.

"All views received during the consultation period will be collated into a further report for Cabinet who will then decide if the proposal should move to the next stage."

Under the proposals the new school would be jointly funded by Swansea Council and Welsh Government via the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.

The learning environment would be improved with resources such as sensory rooms and specialist therapy rooms, a hydro pool integrated within the school building, more space and better provision for teaching young people life skills and vocational skills and better outdoor areas including external learning environments.