Work has begun on a £1.6m project to provide Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pontardawe with extra classrooms and additional child care spaces.

Llanelli-based contractors WRW are carrying out the work which will involve :

• Demolishing old changing rooms and building an extension for two extra classrooms.
• Creating a purpose built pre-school unit and a significantly larger nursery class.
• Renovating and improving the school gym plus relocation of the reception and main entrance to the gym area.

The refurbishment project was made possible after Neath Port Talbot Council was successful last year in obtaining grant funding totalling £3.4m to improve facilities for Welsh medium education over three years.

The rest of the grant money will go to Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tyle’r Ynn in Briton Ferry which will benefit from a £1.1m investment to provide two extra classrooms and childcare facilities, and Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cwmllynfell will see £700,000 invested to provide one additional classroom and an improved childcare offer.

The 336-pupil YGG Pontardawe serves an area which includes the villages of Trebanos, Ynysmeudwy, Godre’r Graig, Rhos, Alltwen, Rhyd-y-fro and surrounding areas.

Cllr Peter Rees, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture, said:

“This refurbishment project is another statement of our belief in our children and young people, giving them the best start in life and helping them to be the best they can be.

“Despite the budget pressures we face, the multi-million pound investment in our education estate over the past few years demonstrates our commitment to education, making sure the right schools are in the right place, and that they are fit for 21st century learners.”