School project recognised at virtual construction award ceremony

Denbighshire County Council has been given a highly commended award at a Wales-wide construction awards.

The Council was given the recognition in the Client of the Year category at the Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards for its partnership working with Keir Construction on Christ the Word Catholic School in Rhyl.

The school opened in September 2019 and caters for 420 full time pupils aged 3-11 and 500 pupils aged 11-16 and was funded in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme.

The Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards celebrate best practice in the construction industry.

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “The Council is delighted to have been given a highly commended award for the Client of the Year category.

“This highlights the partnership working between the Council and Keir Construction which has ensured Christ the Word Catholic School has provided a fantastic learning environment for pupils.”

Cllr Julian Thompson-Hill, the Council’s Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, said: “In delivering the projects for 21st Century Schools, the team at Denbighshire has developed excellent working relationships with both local and national contractors to ensure that full value is achieved for the benefit of schools and the local supply chain.

“This recognition by Constructing Excellence in Wales is richly deserved.”

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Completion of new school

External works at the new 3-16 Catholic school Christ the Word have now been completed and the full site has now been handed over to the school.

The school, in Rhyl, now has access to an all-weather pitch and a number of hard play courts. The works have seen the car park and pedestrian access arrangements completed and a new grass football pitch at the front of the site. However this will remain off limits until the grass is well established and can be brought into use.

The new school, which opened in September, has replaced Ysgol Mair primary school and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic high school and is part of the Diocese of Wrexham provision and will cater for 420 full time pupils aged 3-11 and 500 pupils aged 11-16.

The works have been completed by Kier Construction with the last parts of the external works being progressed under strict COVID 19 safe working practices.

The Rt. Rev’d Peter M. Brignall,  Bishop of Wrexham said  “Almost two years to the day since ‘cutting the turf’ and announcing the name of the new school in Rhyl as ‘Christ y Gair’, ‘Christ the Word’ I am delighted to know and celebrate the full hand over of the School and to express my gratitude to all who have made this possible especially our partners in education, Denbighshire County Council and Welsh Government. “

 

“Thanks to go to all involved in the planning, design and construction of this first class school building and facilities. Most importantly thanks are due to the children and young people, their families and teachers who have lived and worked through the inevitable disruption during the building stage. It is they who are the true foundation of this flagship and the ones who have shown and kept faith in this vanguard in schools for the Catholic Church and people Denbighshire.”

“With Christ at the centre, this fresh new school is superbly placed to provide the very best education, learning and life opportunities in these challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic and beyond to the children and young people of Denbighshire; they and all associated with Christ the Word have my best wishes, support and prayers.”

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said “It’s great to see this project reaching its completion. The facilities at the school are superb and fit for 21^st Century learning- a building that pupils and staff should be proud of. I wish all the pupils and staff the best for the future. Supporting young people is a priority for the Council under our Corporate Plan and so far more than £90 million has been invested in Denbighshire’s schools which has seen more than 3,500 pupils benefit from improved facilities.”

The project was funded in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme.

First day at school for pupils at Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd

Pupils in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd have started lessons at their brand new £5.3million school for the first time.

The new bilingual church school opposite Bron y Clwyd opened on February 26 after moving from the previous building on Wrexham Road.

The project was jointly funded between Denbighshire County Council and Welsh Government as part of the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Education programme, in partnership with the Diocese of St Asaph.

The school will provide new classrooms, additional learning areas, a reflection area, hall, community room, external play areas, new vehicle access and car parking with a drop-off area.

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction was the main contractor for the project.

Helen Oldfield, headteacher, said: “The school and governing body are delighted with the new school. Today’s opening heralds a new era for a generation of pupils at Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd.

“The works provide pupils with an amazing learning environment, which the students will benefit from for years to come.

“I would like to thank the project team and Wynne Construction for their hard work on the project.”

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “Seeing the children’s reaction to their new school was fantastic. They are thrilled with their school which will give them a first-class environment so they can get the best out of their education.

“Thanks to partnership working pupils have the opportunity to achieve their full potential in both Welsh and English. This is yet another example of Denbighshire’s commitment to invest in education facilities and is part of our work to make sure young people have the best possible start in life.”

Rosalind Williams, Director of Education and Lifelong Learning for the Diocese of St Asaph, said: “We are delighted the new bilingual church school in Llanfair DC has opened its doors. This has been a great partnership between the Welsh Government, Denbighshire County Council and the Diocese of St Asaph working together to achieve the best for the children. This fantastic new facility will significantly improve bilingual provision for the village and the surrounding areas.”

Works commence on Denbighshire’s Welsh Language Centre

Following the successful appointment of the building contractor TG Williams, work has now commenced on the site of the new Welsh Language Centre which will be located within the former science block building on the Ysgol Glan Clwyd site. The scheme has been funded by the Welsh Government’s Welsh Medium Education Capital Grant and Capital Funding of Early Years Provision.

Extensive refurbishment works will be undertaken to transform the former science block to a centre which will provide Welsh language provision for all ages including, pre-school pupils, support for latecomers to Welsh Medium education in KS 2 and 3, a facility for the development of Welsh Language resources and a potential base for Welsh Language delivery partners. In addition, the building will provide a location for the delivery of sabbatical courses by Bangor University which will boost the language skills of teachers.

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement said, “This Welsh Language Centre will be a great asset for the authority and will be a key site for supporting the delivery of Denbighshire’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2017 – 2020. This plan sets out a long term vision and commitment to see every child and young person in Denbighshire leaving full-time education being competent and confident in Welsh and English. The Centre will also be an essential resource to aid in the achievement of the Welsh Government’s aim of increasing the number of Welsh speakers to 1 million by 2050.”

Works should be completed on the Centre and associated parking in spring 2020.

 

Christ the Word Catholic School

Work is progressing well on the external areas at Christ the Word Catholic School in Rhyl. The preparatory work for the all-weather pitch at the back of the site is currently being undertaken and the works for the new pitch will be completed by the end of February.  Work also continues on the car park and the play facilities for pupils at the front of the site.   The works for this second phase of the project are expected to be completed by the end of April.

The project is funded in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme.

Final countdown to the opening of the new Ysgol Llanfair DC

Final preparations are being made ahead of the opening of a new school in Llanfair DC.

The new bilingual church school will open after the February half term when pupils will make the short move from the current site on Wrexham Road to the new site located on land opposite Bron y Clwyd.

Council officers have been working with the school to plan for the opening day and further information will be sent to parents, while staff will be on hand on the opening day.

The project is jointly funded between Denbighshire County Council and Welsh Government as part of the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Education programme, in partnership with the Diocese of St Asaph.

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction is the main contractor for the project.

Helen Oldfield, headteacher at Ysgol Llanfair DC, said: “The final preparations are now being made at the new school and we are all looking forward to the first day in our brand-new building.

“The new school will provide a transformation of the teaching and learning environment which will allow pupils to thrive and reach their full potential. This heralds a new era for a generation of pupils at the school and we look forward to seeing pupils benefiting from the new first class facilities for many years to come.”

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “I would like to thank members of the community for their patience and understanding with the progress of this project and I’m very pleased pupils and staff at the school will be able to move in to their brand-new school soon.

“Thanks to partnership working we have created a school that will ensure pupils have the best opportunity to achieve their full potential in both Welsh and English.

“This is yet another example of Denbighshire’s commitment to invest in education facilities and is part of our work to make sure young people have the best possible start in life.”

Rosalind Williams, Director of Education and Lifelong Learning for the Diocese of St Asaph, said: “We are delighted the new bilingual Church School in Llanfair DC will open its doors to pupils following February half term. This has been a great partnership between the Welsh Government, Denbighshire County Council and the Diocese of St Asaph working together to achieve the best for the children. This fantastic new facility will significantly improve bilingual provision for the village of Llanfair DC and the surrounding areas.”

Christ the Word Catholic School

Pupils and staff have enjoyed a successful first term in their new school, Christ the Word Catholic School in Rhyl.  The new school which opened in September, has replaced Ysgol Mair primary school and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic high school and is part of the Diocese of Wrexham provision and will cater for 420 full time pupils aged 3-11 and 500 pupils aged 11-16.

The Headteacher Amanda Preston said “We have had a fantastic first term in our new school. All the children in both the lower and upper school have settled in very well. We have had so many visitors to our school community with lots of them commenting on the lovely calm welcoming atmosphere around the school. It’s lovely to see the older children supporting the younger ones in the classroom and on school trips.”

Pupils are also enjoying the new school, a Year 11 student comments “I love helping and supporting the younger children as I hope to work in a nursery when I leave school” The lower school are also benefiting from the fantastic new facilities with a pupil commenting, “The best thing about our new school is having lessons in the upper school, I really enjoy having science lessons in the science labs.”

The demolitions of Ysgol Mair and Blessed Edward Jones are now complete and over the coming weeks the focus will be on the landscaping works of the sports and play areas, together with the formation of the new permanent car parking area on Cefndy Road. Completion of this phase is scheduled to be completed by April 2020.

The project is funded in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme.

Christ the Word Catholic school progress

It’s been a busy half term as Christ the Word Catholic School opened its doors to pupils on the 6^th September.  The new school has replaced Ysgol Mair primary school and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic high school and will cater for 420 full time pupils aged 3-11 and 500 pupils aged 11-16.

Staff and pupils are settling in well to their new home as the next phase of the project gets under way with the demolition of Ysgol Mair and Blessed Edward Jones buildings progressing well.

The demolition will continue for the next few weeks and then focus will be on landscaping of the sports/play areas. Completion of this phase is scheduled to be completed by April 2020.

The project is funded in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme.

Ysgol Llanfair DC moves another step closer to completion

The construction of a new Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd will reach another milestone this week as internal works reaches completion.

The new bilingual church school is being built on land opposite Bryn y Clwyd, Llanfair. It is jointly funded between Denbighshire County Council and Welsh Government as part of the Welsh Government’s 21^st Century Schools and Education programme, in partnership with the Diocese of St Asaph.

The new building will provide a transformation of the teaching and learning environment for the pupils and teachers of Ysgol Llanfair.  The move will see them leave their cramped main building and mobile classrooms and see them move into state of the art facilities where for the first time they will have a main hall which will include a dining area away from their classrooms and bright and airy classrooms with direct access to the external areas.

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction are the main contractor for the construction who started on site in June 2018.

The next phase of the works will be to undertake the connection of the foul and surface water drainage to the new school and to complete works to the external areas, including the forming of the main entrance and the new car park.  Once issues regarding the drainage has been resolved, the Council will be in a position to confirm when the school will be moving in to the new site.

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts Lead member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement said: ”This is a much needed investment for the school. The current school facilities are dated and are in desperate need of modernisation, this demonstrates Denbighshire’s commitment to invest in education facilities, ensuring that pupils have the best opportunity to achieve their full potential”.

“The next phase of the works is the final piece of the jigsaw and we are looking forward to the completion of these works and the new school opening”.

Geraint Jones Chair of Governors for Ysgol Llanfair DC said: “The building is progressing well and the new facilities look fantastic. I’m looking forward to the planned visits for all pupils to see the new building before the end of term. Everyone is very excited for the completion of the new school and we are looking forward to moving to the new site once the remaining works have been complete”.

Rosalind Williams, Director of Education and Lifelong Learning for the Diocese of St Asaph said: “We are delighted that the new bilingual Church School in Ysgol Llanfair DC has reached the next crucial milestone within the project. We are looking forward to the final stages of the works now being completed and the school moving in to their new building”.

Ruthin schools celebrate special milestone

The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford joined in the celebrations at Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street School, Ruthin as they celebrated a special milestone in their history.

Both schools, which opened in April 2018 were officially opened by the First Minister at a ceremony on Thursday, July 4.

A total of 428 pupils moved into the brand new schools, located on the Glasdir site on the outskirts of Ruthin on April 10, 2018.  The £11.3 million project was funded by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21^st Century Schools programme.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “We’re delighted that the Minister was able to come and share in this important day with the school communities of Pen Barras and Rhos Street. It’s a momentous occasion.

“Denbighshire, working with Welsh Government,  made a commitment to invest in schools and the condition of school buildings and that has certainly paid dividends.  The creation of brand new, fit for purpose buildings for both schools has been a major success and the modern, state of the art facilities built on the Glasdir site replaced the tired and old buildings on the former site on Mold Road. Our children and young people deserve the best possible start and we were delighted to realise the dream of building brand new schools for Pen Barras and Rhos Street.

“The building of the new schools marked a significant investment in education in the Ruthin area and will benefit pupils for generations to come.  We have also seen an overall investment of £90 million in schools in the county, including brand new school buildings at Rhyl High/ Tir Morfa, Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Ysgol Carreg Emlyn and and two others being built in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Christ the Word school in Rhyl.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “It’s been a pleasure to visit Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street today and see the results of investment in education.  Schools and colleges in North Wales have benefited from more than £280m during the first phase of the Welsh Government’s 21^st Century Schools and Education programme.  And there is more investment to come through the second phase.  This has been the largest investment in school buildings since the 1960s and has been delivered in partnership with local authorities and communities. It is something everyone can be proud of.  I wish the staff and pupils here in Ruthin the very best in their new state-of-the-art facilities.”

The contractor responsible for building the new school for Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street was Wynne Construction.