Penweddig flies the flag for Welsh PFI schools
Community involvement lies at the heart of this unique Welsh language centre.

 

The involvement of NewSchools in the development of a brand new school at Penweddig put it at the centre of the region’s educational strategy, with the award of ‘pathfinder’ status to Ceredigion County for one of the first six local authority PFI projects to be approved by the Welsh Office. This made Penweddig the first school in Wales to operate through a public-private partnership arrangement. It was also an interesting and challenging project, being an entirely Welsh-language establishment built on a brownfield site located in the centre of Aberystwyth.

 

The objective was to make the school an asset for the community, designing its facilities to complement what was available from Plascrug Leisure Centre located next door. Nearly all the school rooms, halls and playing fields were to be made available to community users at times outside the school day such as weekends and during the school holidays.

 

The contract with NewSchools involved, not just the construction of the new facility but also to provide and maintain the school for the next 30 years. As the first such project of its type in Wales it offered the opportunity for a truly innovative partnership between the public and private sectors.

 

It was also a project that demonstrated NewSchools’ breadth of experience, as the work clearly required liaison with a number of Welsh contractors to ensure that all signage and other information on site was in Welsh. Other companies could have struggled with this obstacle but NewSchools overcame any scepticism by calling upon the diversity within its organisation.

 

At the same time it was essential to remain focussed on the more strategic aspects of the contract, bringing community involvement to the forefront whilst also attending to the practical construction issues that inevitably arise in any building work. Situated on vacant brownfield land, the building did not pose any significant problems but care was needed during the planning stage to avoid conflict as a public footpath runs through the site.

 

The two storey building includes a cafeteria, library, multi-purpose hall and dedicated sixth form study area and common room along with areas for each of the major academic departments. There are also eleven sports fields and two cricket wickets in addition to access to the adjacent leisure centre, putting sport at the heart of the curriculum.

 

The result, in the words of head teacher Arwel George, meets the objectives set out by the project, “The school is a Welsh community whose core values are based on mutual respect, honesty and concern for others. The focus is on achieving each pupil's potential and every effort is made to attain the highest standards of academic achievement for each individual. These firm foundations enable the pupils to widen their horizons so that each one can become a responsible and active citizen.”

“Welsh is the language used in the daily life of the school and in the majority of lessons. Sustaining a Welsh ethos within the school, the local community and beyond is a central part of the school's work. The school has clear and high expectations and the pupils and families recognize these and seek to support them. Supporting the work of charitable and humanitarian causes is a prominent part of the work and tradition of Penweddig. Each individual pupil is important in Penweddig. Each pupil's development as a rounded individual is the focus of the school's work.”

 

In conclusion, Councillor Peredur Eklund, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Education said, "I am delighted that this major project has been completed and would like to thank all the individuals and agencies that have cooperated to make this remarkable feat possible. Future generations of pupils and staff at the school will enjoy purpose-built, state of the art facilities fit for the twenty first century."