£35m special school to open doors in 2029

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter 

A long-awaited special school costing £35 million will open its doors in September 2029, if all goes to plan, councillors have been told.

The new Ysgol Heol Goffa in Llanelli is to be located by Ysgol Pen Rhos, nearly four miles from the current oversubscribed Heol Goffa site, and cater for 150 pupils aged three to 19 with severe learning difficulties or profound and multiple learning difficulties.

There’s a formal process to go through and the new school will require Welsh Government backing.

Carmarthenshire Council had planned to build a new Ysgol Heol Goffa for 120 pupils but pulled the plug in 2024 on cost grounds before work started, sparking anger and protests in the town.

Council chiefs then agreed last year that a replacement school would be built, and further details of the preferred scheme were set out in a report before the education and young people scrutiny committee at a meeting on May 12.

Cllr Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education, said the preferred option was “excellent and fully costed”, adding: “It’s bigger, better, modern and future-proofed.”

Split

The £35 million price tag would be split between the Welsh Government, contributing 75%, and the council paying £25%.

Cllr Martyn Palfreman asked for assurance for this 75% contribution given that a new Welsh Government was being formed. “I’m confident that we will get that funding,” replied Cllr Davies.

A report before the committee said there were 132 pupils at Ysgol Heol Goffa and that its capacity was 118. According to inspection body Estyn several parts of the school are no longer fit for purpose and facilities are outdated.

“The proposed new school building would overcome these difficulties noted by Estyn by providing 21st Century facilities to meet the needs of children with more complex needs and profound additional learning needs,” said the report.

“The proposed development would provide additional space and better provision for teaching post-16 pupils with life skills and vocational skills as well as more space and better play provision on the proposed new school site.”

Pool

It’s expected the new school would use the hydrotherapy pool at the nearby Pentre Awel health and leisure development.

The Plaid-Independent-led council is also investing £4 million in a new unit for pupils with autism at the Ysgol Glan-y-Mor Glanymor school site in Burry Port. It’s due to open by September, 2027.

Cllr Steve Williams said the new Ysgol Heol Goffa was “vitally-needed” and wanted to know if there’d be room for an extension should pupil numbers rise and whether the old leisure centre off Park Crescent had been considered as a potential site. Director of education, Owain Lloyd, said it had been considered along with 19 or so other sites but that the one by Ysgol Pen Rhos was the most appropriate, partly because of its proximity to Pentre Awel.

Cllr Davies said he reckoned the new site would also be easier to access for pupils and parents as roads by the current school were very busy.

Cost

The cost per pupil, given the additional support required, is £29,595 per year at Ysgol Heol Goffa and there was discussion about whether there ought to be health board contributions to costs. Mr Lloyd said he would like more clarity on this at a Welsh Government level, and added that the school did rely at times on specialist health board nursing.

The committee unanimously recommended that the new 150-place school should proceed. A decision will be taken in due course by cabinet. The subsequent process would include consultation, a statutory notice, objection report and final decision by full council next March.

Cllr Davies admitted it had been a “long and very complicated process” when asked for his reflections. He added that the school and governing body were happy with the plans.

Cllr Kim Broom said: “The parents, they want a new school, and the children deserve that.”