Another of Neath Port Talbot Council’s growing portfolio of new schools has been officially opened.
The £7m Ysgol Carreg Hir in Briton Ferry was officially opened on Tuesday, February 12th, by the Deputy Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Anthony Taylor. The spacious new primary school resulted from the closure of Briton Ferry’s Brynhyfryd, Llansawel and Ynysmaerdy Primary Schools.
Pupils actually began lessons at Ysgol Carreg Hir in September last year after the building was completed by building contractors Kier Construction.
Cllr Taylor said at Tuesday’s official opening ceremony at which pupils sang songs including Calon Lan and Sosban Fach: “This thoroughly modern school is in the heart of Briton Ferry and has its own playing fields and a large playground. It is providing a modern, innovative learning environment for our next generations.”
He also paid tribute to the school’s staff, governors and pupils and the Council’s Design Project Management Team as the school was delivered both on time and on budget.
Cllr Taylor added: “Since Neath Port Talbot Council pledged to modernise educational provision across its schools more than a decade ago, more than £123m has been ploughed into modernising the Council’s educational estate – a massive investment in the County Borough’s educational provision and the biggest of any Council in Wales outside of Cardiff.”
School head teacher Lesley Hynes said: “At Ysgol Carreg Hir we believe in working in partnership with families, staff, governors and the community. This is reflected in our motto: ‘Together if we believe we can achieve’.”
The new schools across Neath Port Talbot have been funded by the Council’s Strategic School Improvement Programme and the Welsh Government, as part of its 21st Century Schools initiative.
The Council’s Strategic School Improvement Programme is gathering pace and four school projects have been completed in the past few months: the second phase of Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur (£3.5m), Ysgol Cwm Brombil (£30m), Ysgol Bro Dur (£19m) and Ysgol Carreg Hir.
The Council is now developing its next phase of schemes for its Strategic School Improvement Programme with the Welsh Government and has indicated approval ‘in principle’ for capital grant support for projects including Cefn Saeson Comprehensive (ca.£29m) Ysgol Newydd (Cwmtawe) (ca.£14m) Ysgol Newydd Coed Darcy (ca.£9m) and Abbey Primary School (ca.£9m).
Despite being very much part of the digital age, Ysgol Carreg Hir has a strong link to the past having been named after an iconic standing stone believed to date back to the Bronze Age. Known as Carreg Hir (Long Stone) the mighty 9 foot 2-inch tall monolith was previously located in the grounds of the former Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School in Briton Ferry but it now has pride of place next to the new 420-pupil primary school.
Councillor Peter Rees, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture said: “Ysgol Carreg Hir is a great name for a great new school and reflects part of a huge investment by this authority over the past ten years or so in providing all of our children – across the whole county borough - with the best possible start in life we can give them.”
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Mae ysgol arall o bortffolio cynyddol Castell-nedd Port Talbot o ysgolion newydd wedi cael ei hagor yn swyddogol.
Cafodd Ysgol Carreg Hir yn Llansawel, sy'n werth £7m, ei hagor yn swyddogol ddydd Mawrth 12 Chwefror gan Meddai'r Cynghorydd Anthony Taylor, Dirprwy Arweinydd Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot.
Adeiladwyd yr ysgol gynradd eang newydd ar ôl cau ysgolion cynradd Brynhyfryd, Llansawel ac Ynysmaerdy.
Dechreuodd disgyblion eu gwersi yno ym mis Medi'r llynedd ar ôl i Kier Construction gwblhau'r adeilad.
Meddai'r Cyng. Taylor yn y seremoni agoriadol swyddogol ddydd Mawrth, "Mae'r ysgol gwbl gyfoes hon yng nghanol Llansawel ac mae ganddi ei chaeau chwarae ei hun ac iard chwarae fawr. Mae'n darparu amgylchedd dysgu modern a blaengar ar gyfer y cenedlaethau nesaf."
Meddai Pennaeth yr ysgol, Lesley Hynes, "Yn Ysgol Carreg Hir credwn mewn gweithio mewn partneriaeth â theuluoedd, staff, llywodraethwyr a'r gymuned. Adlewyrchir hyn yn ein harwyddair, 'Gyda'n gilydd, os ydym yn credu, gallwn gyflawni'."
Ers i Gyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot wneud addewid i foderneiddio'r ddarpariaeth addysgol ar draws ysgolion y sir dros ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, mae dros £123 miliwn wedi'i fuddsoddi i foderneiddio stad addysgol y cyngor - buddsoddiad enfawr yng nghenedlaethau nesaf y fwrdeistref sirol a'r mwyaf gan unrhyw gyngor yng Nghymru y tu allan i Gaerdydd.
Ariannwyd yr ysgolion newydd gan Raglen Strategol Gwella Ysgolion Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot a Llywodraeth Cymru, fel rhan o fenter Ysgolion yr 21ain Ganrif.
Mae Rhaglen Strategol Gwella Ysgolion y cyngor yn datblygu'n gyflym, a chwblhawyd pedwar prosiect yn yr ychydig fisoedd diwethaf: ail gam Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur (£3.5m), Ysgol Cwm Brombil (£30m), Ysgol Bro Dur (£19m) ac Ysgol Carreg Hir.
Mae'r cyngor bellach yn datblygu cam nesaf y cynlluniau ar gyfer ei Raglen Strategol Gwella Ysgolion gyda Llywodraeth Cymru ac mae wedi mynegi cymeradwyaeth 'mewn egwyddor' ar gyfer cefnogaeth grant cyfalaf i brosiectau sy'n cynnwys Ysgol Gyfun Cefn Saeson (tua £29m), Ysgol Newydd (Cwmtawe) (tua £14m), Ysgol Newydd Coed Darcy (tua £9m) ac Ysgol Gynradd Abbey (tua £9m).
Er ei bod yn rhan fawr o'r oes ddigidol, mae gan Ysgol Carreg Hir gyswllt cryf â'r gorffennol am ei bod wedi'i henwi ar ôl maen hir eiconig y credir ei fod yn dyddio'n ôl i'r Oes Efydd.
Safai'r monolith mawr 9 troedfedd a 2 fodfedd o uchder o'r enw Carreg Hir yn flaenorol ar dir hen Ysgol Gyfun Cwrt Sart yn Llansawel, ond mae bellach yn cael y lle blaenaf drws nesaf i'r ysgol gynradd newydd â lle i 420 o ddisgyblion.
Meddai'r Cynghorydd Peter Rees, Aelod y Cabinet dros Addysg, Sgiliau a Diwylliant, "Mae Ysgol Carreg Hir yn enw gwych ar gyfer ysgol newydd, wych ac mae'n adlewyrchu rhan o fuddsoddiad enfawr gan yr awdurdod hwn dros y deng mlynedd diwethaf i roi'r dechrau gorau posib mewn bywyd i'n holl blant ledled y fwrdeistref sirol."
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