News

New Welsh-medium secondary school proposed due to growing demand

04 Sep 2026 2 minute read

Nation.Cymru staff

A new Welsh-medium secondary school could be created to meet growing demand for places.

Caerphilly County Borough Council wants to establish the new school at the Y Gwyndy site in Caerphilly from September 2027, replacing its current use as a satellite campus of Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni.

There is currently only one Welsh-medium secondary school in the county borough, with the council saying increasing pupil numbers mean additional provision is needed.

The proposals will go before the council’s Education and Social Services Scrutiny Committee next week.

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni currently operates across two sites, with Y Gwyndy used as its satellite campus.

The council says the arrangement presents a number of operational and organisational challenges and is proposing to end the split-site model by establishing Y Gwyndy as a separate secondary school.

If the proposals progress, the county borough would therefore have two separate Welsh-medium secondary schools.

Following scrutiny, the council’s Cabinet will be asked on September 23 to approve a six-week public consultation on the plans.

Cllr Carol Andrews, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “The proposal to create two separate secondary schools is the most viable and sustainable solution, delivering financial stability while protecting educational standards, maintaining curriculum breadth and minimising disruption to pupils, staff and the wider community.

“It is important that parents get the chance to have their say, so if the proposals are agreed by Cabinet, there would be a six-week consultation to ensure we gather all relevant feedback before any final decision is made.”

The council says the proposal forms part of its wider commitment to expanding Welsh-medium education across the county borough.

No final decision on establishing the new school has yet been made, with the proposed consultation intended to gather views from parents and other interested parties before the plans are considered further.

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