Next step forward for world class new school for the valleys

July 11, 2011 No Comments

Leadbitter has been announced as the contractor to build an iconic new multi-million pound Gateway to the Valleys secondary school and community campus at Tondu.

Following a tendering process, Leadbitter has been chosen to construct Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen. It will replace Ogmore and Ynysawdre comprehensives and will be a world-class facility.

The Labour-led Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet has given the green light to Leadbitter’s appointment to undertake the initial work.

Leadbitter will now work closely with the project team of architects, design consultants, engineers and BCBC to finalise design details and establish accurate costings for the construction, which have to be within the allocated budget. The final contract is expected to be formally awarded following this process.

Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen will accommodate 1570 pupils aged 11 – 18 on the site currently occupied by Ynysawdre Comprehensive and Archbishop McGrath Roman Catholic Comprehensive. It will also incorporate extensive community facilities for use both within and outside of school hours.

It’s being funded by Bridgend County Borough Council’s ambitious Schools Modernisation Programme and £26m awarded by the Labour Welsh Government as part of its £144 million investment in schools across Wales.

To receive Welsh Government funding all new school buildings must achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ to support the agenda of reducing carbon emissions and being as environmentally efficient and sustainable as possible. The Council is planning to achieve the BREEAM rating of ‘Outstanding’ (88.13%) which would make Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen the first education building in the UK to reach this gold standard of sustainability.

The key innovative and low-impact design features of the building include:

the installation of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) source which is very energy efficient and gives the opportunity to heat both the school and Ynysawdre swimming pool and produce surplus electricity to feed into the grid;
the use of natural daylight and ventilation which maximises light and air to enhance the learning environment and reduce running costs;
sharing of facilities by the community and school with security and flexibility to open up and access areas for the community simply and safely during and out of school hours;
flexibility in design and use of teaching and learning spaces to enable students to learn in different and innovative ways. The building is ‘future-proof’ and can be easily adapted as technologies and methods of learning change;
a ‘Civic Street’ as the spine of the college, informed by ‘Secure by Design’ principles;
virtual elimination of corridors, reusing space for informal learning. This approach makes supervision by staff much easier and has been shown to improve behaviour;
a high quality landscape to encourage outside learning opportunities;
an easily accessible facility for all, complying fully with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Councillor Alana Davies, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “This is another significant milestone for the Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen project which forms such an important part of this administration’s ambitions.

“Not only will this new school offer young people from our valley areas a first-class learning environment, it will provide a multi-purpose hub for so many sections of the surrounding community. I’ve heard Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen described as a ‘super school’ and certainly all the designs and plans suggest it will be like nothing we have seen before in the borough. It will be an outstanding, world-class facility and will undoubtedly be a model for others in Wales and the UK. I’m thrilled that we will be able to deliver it for our young people and their families.”

“It will also provide new infrastructure and major highway safety improvements along Heol Yr Ysgol.”

Councillor Huw David, Labour Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “An essential next step if for the contractor to show us how it will deliver the work within the specified budget. Although projects of this kind will always require some flexibility, we need to be reassured of costs. We have an outstanding team working on the plans for Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen and I know they will now work closely with Leadbitter to reach the important next stage which will allow building work to begin.”

Cllr David added: ““Our administration is determined to revitalise our valleys communities and building a world-class secondary school for the children and young people of the Ogmore, Garw and valley ‘gateway’ communities is crucial to delivering that. The scale of the project is unprecedented; thanks to £26 million of funding from the Welsh Government and a £13million commitment from our own capital programme it is the largest ever single investment in the County Borough of Bridgend and it is being made in the young people of our valleys. This flagship project is only possible because our Labour Council and our Labour Welsh Government are working together to realise a shared vision.”

Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen opens this September using the two current school sites in Bryncethin and Tondu. The new campus will open in September 2013.

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