School Investment Projects - Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme

Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme (formerly the 21^st Century Schools and Colleges Programme, prior to January 24, 2022) aims to transform the learning experience of pupils, ensuring they are taught in classrooms with the technologies and facilities needed to support the delivery of the Curriculum for Wales. The projects below are being funded in partnership with the Programme’s capital and revenue (Mutual Investment Model) funding streams.

School-Investment-Completed-Projects-2022

Ongoing Projects

New 3-19 Additional Learning Needs School

The development in Clydach Vale will provide the Council’s fifth ALN school when it opens in 2026. A first-class learning environment will meet all needs, and include 23 classrooms and other features such as a hydrotherapy pool and a wellbeing centre. External facilities will be positioned around the building, along with a car park to serve the school site.

New primary school for Glyn-coch

This Sustainable Schools Challenge project will deliver a modern primary school and community hub for Glyn-coch. It will bring Cefn Primary and Craig yr Hesg Primary together on one school site, with first-class facilities including Multi Use Games Areas, a grass sports pitch, and playgrounds. Learning Support Classes, a nursery, and a Welsh Medium childcare facility will also be accommodated.

Pontyclun Primary School

A new two-storey school building has been built on the existing school site, providing a state-of-the-art learning environment that accommodates 480 pupils plus 60 nursery places. Work is now underway on the second phase of the development, to demolish all remaining former buildings and establish the school’s new outdoor spaces – due for completion in autumn 2025.

Ysgol Afon Wen

This project has established the new 3-16 school on the former Hawthorn High School site, which opened in September 2024. The development has provided a brand new 28-classroom teaching block for Key Stages 2-4, as well as refurbishing many existing facilities. A second phase of work, to demolish the old high school block and complete extensive landscaping, will be completed in 2025.

NEXT ROUND OF PROJECTS TO BE PROGRESSED

In March 2025, the Council shared an update on the next tranche of projects that will benefit from major investment in new Education facilities via the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. Many of these projects are in the early feasibility and design stages and will be added to this webpage once they develop further.