OFFICIAL OPENING OF FIRST PASSIVHAUS SCHOOL IN WALES

The new £3.8million Burry Port Community Primary School has officially opened.

Pupils, staff and invited guests celebrated the opening of the new school on Thursday as the chair of Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, handed over the keys and unveiled a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

The school, delivered by contractors WRW Ltd, was built as part of the council’s Modernising Education Programme, with part funding from the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools initiative.

Utilising a modular timber frame construction of sustainable Welsh timber, it is officially the most eco-friendly in Wales, and the first in the country to pass the stringent Passivhaus standard owing to its super energy efficiency features.

Speaking at the opening, Cllr Gareth Jones, Executive Board Member for Education, said: “This is an excellent example of the partnership between the local authority and the Welsh Government, working together for the benefit of the pupils of Carmarthenshire. I’m sure the children will take full advantage of this new building and its excellent resources.”

Headteacher Alison Williams said children had been settling in well to their new environment, and were impressed with the school’s eco-friendly features and modern design.

“This is the new home for the children of Burry Port – for their children, and probably their grandchildren too. We can’t even begin to explain the difference this building has made to us – the children think it’s very cool!”

The school brings together the former Burry Port Infant and Burry Port Junior Schools which were discontinued at the end of the summer term 2013.

It is home to children aged three to 11, and also incorporates a Flying Start nursery – also part funded by Welsh Government – which includes a sensory garden space for the outdoor environment which will be the first of its kind in Wales.

Nia McIntosh, Flying Start Manager, said: “This is a first for Flying Start in Carmarthenshire, where we have been offered the chance to be embedded within a brand new school. The designers and contractors have taken the time to understand the needs of the Flying Start programme – this will provide a perfect setting to help children prepare for school life.”