Cardiff Council approves £284 million investment

Cardiff Council has approved plans for the largest single investment in Cardiff schools, worth £284 million.

The investment is jointly funded by the council and Welsh government as part of the next phase of the 21st Century Schools programme for Cardiff, starting in 2019.

Schemes include new secondary schools, new English-medium and Welsh-medium primary schools, and new special schools.

The schemes chosen for the next phase of the 21st Century Schools programme have been identified following the results of an independent study looking at the condition, suitability and capacity of schools in Cardiff.

This investment is in addition to the ongoing cost of maintaining the city’s schools.

Sarah Merry, deputy leader of Cardiff Council and cabinet member for education, employment and skills, said: "The £284m investment in our schools is the biggest Cardiff has ever seen. It will allow us to increase the momentum we have established through the exciting range of new schools we have delivered with Welsh government over recent years, and continue to create inspiring, sustainable, community-focussed schools in which all children and young people can achieve their potential.

“Not only will our next round of investment allow us to continue to renew our schools, replacing those that are reaching the end of their operational life, but it will also enable us to provide more school places across all sectors – primary, secondary, additional learning needs, English-medium and Welsh-medium – creating the extra capacity that will be needed as Cardiff’s population continues to grow."