Ysgol Heol Goffa gets go-ahead to move to new site

A SPECIAL school in Llanelli will move to a new site and accommodate more pupils than currently, it has been confirmed.

Carmarthenshire councillors approved the move of Ysgol Heol Goffa from Heol Goffa to a site by the recently completed Ysgol Pen Rhos, Copperworks Road.

This area is where the new Pentre Awel wellness and life science village is to be built.

The proposal has gone through a lengthy process, involving consultation and the publication of a statutory notice.

Introducing the report at a meeting of the full council on May 12, Cllr Glynog Davies, who has the education portfolio, said there had not been any objections.

The school’s capacity will increase from 75 to 120 – and Cllr Davies said it was important that the authority continued to look after the 3 to 19-year-old pupils.

“The school is to be praised for the excellent work that takes place there, and I would like to thank the headteacher and the staff,” he said.

Seconding the proposal, council leader Emlyn Dole said his visits to Ysgol Heol Goffa had been an honour and a privilege, and that the inspection results reflected the excellent work done there.

The report before the full council said the school was over-subscribed, with 101 pupils on the roll as of January 2020, and this trend is forecast to continue.

Cllr Dole said: “I very much look forward to seeing the school being built.”

The relocation is expected to take place from September 2023, and the new-build will cost just over £17 million.

Labour opposition leader, Cllr Rob James, also welcomed the proposal.

“I had the privilege of visiting the school with trade union colleagues at the beginning of the pandemic to see first hand the measures that were in place to ensure the safety of pupils and staff,” he said. “The team there are absolutely fantastic, as are the pupils.”

Ysgol Heol Goffa pupils have previously responded to the proposal, saying they were excited but also a little nervous.

They looked forward to new facilities such as a hydro pool, ski slope, and basketball hoops, and also put forward a wish list including a stage, sandpit, swing, picnic area, trees, and a rabbit.