Boost for new Furnace school plan
Education chiefs are celebrating a £10.2 million windfall for a new state-of-the-art school in Furnace.
Carmarthenshire County Council was told today that it has successfully secured money for the ambitious project.
It means that a brand new Welsh medium primary school and nursery will be built in Llanelli.
The flagship school, which will feature the very latest developments in technology and sustainability, will be developed on land next to Denham Avenue.
It will cater for 420 pupils, with another 52 nursery places, and help to address the growing demand for Welsh language education in the town.
The funding has been awarded from the Welsh Assembly’s 21st Century Schools Programme, as part of a £144 million package of grants announced by Education Minister Leighton Andrews.
Only 13 Welsh authorities were successful in their bids, with Carmarthenshire securing £10.2m towards the £14m school.
Council Leader Meryl Gravell said she was delighted with the news.
She said: “This is wonderful news and builds on the huge investment in education in Carmarthenshire in recent years.
“Children must be able to access the support and facilities they need, and we have already developed some of the most modern facilities in Wales.
“This new school at Furnace will bring benefits for generations of pupils.”
The location of the school will offer a unique opportunity for pupils to make use of nearby sporting facilities and clubs, including the West Wales Sports Academy at Coleg Sir Gar.
Interactive boards and Apple Mac computers will be installed in classrooms, and a special website will be created to give access to online lessons and a homework network.
The community will have access to I.T and meeting rooms, along with the school hall and an internal amphitheatre for performing arts.
There will also be a dedicated community police room to foster links with the pupils and allow easy access for the community.
Education Executive Board Member cllr Gwynne Wooldridge said: “We are absolutely delighted that our funding bid for a new school at Furnace has been successful.
“This will be a flagship project and the benefits for pupils will be far reaching.
“It will also relieve the pressure on Dewi Sant and Brynsierfel schools which have been oversubscribed in recent years, and unable to meet the huge increase in demand for Welsh education.”
The new school is the latest stage of a huge investment in Carmarthenshire schools, as part of the council’s Modernising Education Programme.
New schools, classroom extensions and refurbishments are being carried out all over the county.
Council Chief Executive Mark James said: “The project at Furnace will radically transform and increase significantly the opportunities for a considerable number of young learners, to have access to Welsh medium primary education for the first time.
“The council is committed to developing schools as centres of learning within their communities, and this new project will build on the innovative work we have driven forward in other areas of the county.”
Carmarthenshire County Council was told today that it has successfully secured money for the ambitious project.
It means that a brand new Welsh medium primary school and nursery will be built in Llanelli.
The flagship school, which will feature the very latest developments in technology and sustainability, will be developed on land next to Denham Avenue.
It will cater for 420 pupils, with another 52 nursery places, and help to address the growing demand for Welsh language education in the town.
The funding has been awarded from the Welsh Assembly’s 21st Century Schools Programme, as part of a £144 million package of grants announced by Education Minister Leighton Andrews.
Only 13 Welsh authorities were successful in their bids, with Carmarthenshire securing £10.2m towards the £14m school.
Council Leader Meryl Gravell said she was delighted with the news.
She said: “This is wonderful news and builds on the huge investment in education in Carmarthenshire in recent years.
“Children must be able to access the support and facilities they need, and we have already developed some of the most modern facilities in Wales.
“This new school at Furnace will bring benefits for generations of pupils.”
The location of the school will offer a unique opportunity for pupils to make use of nearby sporting facilities and clubs, including the West Wales Sports Academy at Coleg Sir Gar.
Interactive boards and Apple Mac computers will be installed in classrooms, and a special website will be created to give access to online lessons and a homework network.
The community will have access to I.T and meeting rooms, along with the school hall and an internal amphitheatre for performing arts.
There will also be a dedicated community police room to foster links with the pupils and allow easy access for the community.
Education Executive Board Member cllr Gwynne Wooldridge said: “We are absolutely delighted that our funding bid for a new school at Furnace has been successful.
“This will be a flagship project and the benefits for pupils will be far reaching.
“It will also relieve the pressure on Dewi Sant and Brynsierfel schools which have been oversubscribed in recent years, and unable to meet the huge increase in demand for Welsh education.”
The new school is the latest stage of a huge investment in Carmarthenshire schools, as part of the council’s Modernising Education Programme.
New schools, classroom extensions and refurbishments are being carried out all over the county.
Council Chief Executive Mark James said: “The project at Furnace will radically transform and increase significantly the opportunities for a considerable number of young learners, to have access to Welsh medium primary education for the first time.
“The council is committed to developing schools as centres of learning within their communities, and this new project will build on the innovative work we have driven forward in other areas of the county.”
Comments