Gwynedd Council has secured a funding package of £5.1 million to allow it to move ahead to design plans for a new home for Ysgol Glancegin in Bangor.
The development, which is jointly-funded by Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme, will fund the construction of a new school for the Maesgeirchen area of the city.
Councillor Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Education, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to secure a funding package of £5.1 million to develop a brand new home for Ysgol Glancegin. The school’s staff provide education of a high standard, but the building itself has seen better days and I’m looking forward to the development of a new modern school for the children of Maesgeirchen in Bangor.
“Our priority as a Council is to ensure that children in communities across the county, wherever they live, can benefit from a learning environment of the highest standard. Over the coming months, plans will be developed for the new Ysgol Glancegin school building, and the views of pupils and staff will be an important part of this process.”
This exciting initiative will ensure modern and suitable teaching spaces to provide education of the highest standard. As well as offering the best possible learning environment within the school building itself, the development will also include an external teaching space, and new play areas that will support children to develop across all areas of the curriculum.
With a total cost of £5.11 million, the building will offer additional space to support specialist interventions as well as driving up productivity and standards.
Ysgol Glancegin head teacher Bethan Morris-Jones, added: “The fact that the funding package for the development of the new school has now been confirmed is excellent news. It will be an honour to eventually open the doors of a state of the art new building that will inspire generations of Maesgeirchen pupils and their families.
Staff from the Council’s Property Service are currently completing site and building surveys, and it is expected that a contractor will be appointed for the development over the summer. Pupils, staff, governors and parents will then have the opportunity to give their opinion on the proposals, before a final planning application is submitted.
It is expected that construction work will begin in the spring of 2016, with the new Ysgol Glancegin building ready to officially open in September 2017.
