Campaigners demand urgent action over site for new Welsh-medium school

Mark Mansfield

Campaigners are calling on Cardiff Council to urgently apply for publicly owned land which could provide a site for a new Welsh-medium school in the south of the city.

The Ysgol De Caerdydd campaign has written to council leader Chris Weaver and his cabinet asking the authority to make a formal application to the Welsh Government for land at Callaghan Square.

Finding a suitable site is regarded as one of the biggest obstacles to establishing a new Welsh-medium secondary school serving Butetown, Grangetown and surrounding communities because of the densely developed nature of the area and the limited amount of available land.

The Callaghan Square site is owned by the Welsh Government and sits between Butetown and the city centre, close to the communities the proposed school would serve.

Former Cardiff Council leader Huw Thomas, who is now the MS for Cardiff and Penarth, has previously said he secured agreement in principle from the previous Welsh Government over the potential use of the land.

While still council leader, Mr Thomas approached then finance minister Mark Drakeford about making the site available for a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school and said he received a “positive response”.

However, concerns have since emerged that the land could instead be sold for private development.

Last week Mr Thomas called on the Welsh Government to pause any sale and said he had received no assurance from the new administration that the previous government’s position would be honoured.

At the time, the Welsh Government said it had received no formal approach from Cardiff Council about the land.

Campaigners now want the council to make that application and have accused both administrations of showing “indifference” while the future of the site remains uncertain.

They are calling for an all-age school for pupils aged three to 19, serving Butetown, Grangetown and surrounding communities and including dedicated sixth-form provision.

In an open letter to Mr Weaver, the group said there was a “dire under-representation” of some geographical and cultural communities in Welsh-medium education and argued that a new school could help address what it described as a longstanding social injustice.

It said the Callaghan Square land was particularly suitable because of its proximity to the communities the school would serve.

The campaigners said: “We very much hope that you continue to develop the case for establishing the fourth Welsh-medium secondary school and a dedicated sixth form on Callaghan Square as a hub for a multi-site campus to include new primary streams together with resources for the whole community.”

‘High expectations’

Carl Morris, from the Ysgol De Caerdydd campaign, said there were “high expectations” that Mr Weaver would now seek the land and funding needed for the school.

He said campaigners had requested a meeting with Education and Welsh Language Minister Anna Brychan in May but had not received a response.

Mr Morris said: “While everyone from Cardiff Council to the Welsh Government are showing indifference, dragging their feet, children and families in south Cardiff are losing out.”

Campaigners are also seeking a commitment from Cardiff Council to protect Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern in the east of the city and invest in improving its buildings.

‘Betrayal’

Mr Morris said establishing a school in south Cardiff should not come at the expense of existing Welsh-medium provision.

“Establishing an All-Age School in south Cardiff cannot come through a betrayal of the community of east Cardiff, and both communities stand together on this issue,” he said.

“There must be local Welsh-medium secondary schools in each compass point of the city with quality buildings and resources fit for teaching in the twenty-first century.”

Parents and other residents have been campaigning since 2024 for a Welsh-medium secondary school serving Butetown, Grangetown and surrounding communities.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.