Gorseinon mums welcome plans for new school

Swansea Council is looking to replace ageing buildings on three sites scattered across Gorseinon with a single ultra-modern school in the heart of the community.

Currently the school is located mainly in buildings more than 100 years old which are not fit for the 21st century, some of which have never had access to green space for learning or sport.

And now parents of pupils at the school have come out in support of a project which aims to solve the problem by creating a new school at Parc y Werin.

Mum Andrea Thomas said: “I think there is a lot of support for the new school not just among parents but in the wider community too.

“As parents we think the teachers and staff at Gorseinon Primary School do a wonderful job in buildings which are just way beyond their use-by date. Our children deserve a new school and they need it now.

“We think there is enough space at Parc y Werin to share with all the sports clubs who currently use the park and local residents who walk their dogs and enjoy the green space.”

Just over 100 people attended a public meeting about the project at the school’s junior school site and Mrs Thomas said a Facebook page called Support Our New School at Parc y Werin attracted more than 180 members in two days.

Mrs Thomas said parents understood the concerns of residents opposed to the scheme, who also attended last week’s meeting. But she added: “As parents, many of us use Parc y Werin and more of us would use it more often if the children’s play area was improved and something was done about the anti-social behaviour that goes on there.

“We want there to be green space at Parc y Werin and a school too because it’ll mean our children will have the best of both worlds. There is space for both.”

Cllr Jen Raynor, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Education is one of the council’s top priorities.

“Gorseinon Primary School is badly in need of replacement and Parc y Werin is the most viable option because we can get it built quickly, more cost-effectively and without extra disruption to children’s education.

“But, owing to the way major projects like these are funded, Welsh Government financial support is only on the table this financial year. So we have a window of opportunity we can’t afford to miss.

She said: “If our planning application is approved, Gorseinon Primary School will get what pupils at other schools in the area take for granted. For the first time it will be united on one site and have access to green space on its doorstep. It’s what the children in this community deserve.”