Plaid Cymru AM presses Welsh Government over funding for Ysgol Dewi Sant project

MID and West AM Helen Mary Jones has written to the Welsh Government for assurances over funding for a new school in Llanelli.

There has been a delay in moving ahead with a new modern school for Ysgol Dewi Sant because the plans have been called in by the Welsh Government.

Plaid Cymru AM Helen Mary Jones said:

“I’m seeking assurances from the Welsh Government that this further delay will not lead to pupils in Llanelli losing out of classrooms fit for purpose. I visited the school earlier this year.

“I was impressed with the behaviour of the children, the commitment of the staff, and the enthusiasm of everybody involved at the school. There was a lovely atmosphere. Just the sort of environment I would have loved my daughter to learn in when she was little.

“A high percentage of the children have additional learning needs, and many pupils come from underprivileged backgrounds. Although nearly 90 per cent of the pupils come from non-Welsh speaking homes, all the children are totally bilingual when they transfer to the secondary school.

“I was shocked to see the state of the buildings. We need to treat pupils like children, not sardines.

“Plaid Cymru led Carmarthenshire County Council and the Welsh Government has found the £9.1m to build a new school building. The current buildings are substandard and inadequate for 21st century teaching.

“I found that teachers were being creative with their use of space but with a modern curriculum, where learning happens through play rather than through rote, it is increasingly difficult. In 2019 we really should see children taught in classrooms, not corridors. I hope people can come together to deliver this important project.

“The school has a long proud history being the first Welsh medium primary school to be supported by any local authority when it opened its doors in 1947, but I want to make sure that it has a brighter future as well.”