With demand for special education in Wales outstripping supply, the Vale of Glamorgan Council is building a second location for Ysgol Y Deri, close to the original school in Comeston, on the outskirts of Penarth.
Ysgol y Deri is the UK’s largest SEN school, catering for pupils aged three to 19 years old with a range of learning and physical needs and autism.
The provision of an additional site is part of the Welsh government and Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme to increase the number of special education places available.
Originally constructed to accommodate 205 pupils, Ysgol y Deri is over-subscribed, in a trend that is likely to continue as pupils stay on for longer periods. The proposal to expand Ysgol y Deri with additional places on a split-site provision was selected as the preferred option to deliver additional pupil places.
The new facility will house the school’s sixth form.
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The client’s project team includes HLM Architects and Aecom. ISG has the construction contract.
Indoor spaces for the school have been arranged over two storeys, allowing for the most efficient building shape, while maintaining a compact footprint and as much external space as possible. The classrooms are split over both floors, with ground floor classrooms also providing direct access to outdoor learning spaces.
The school has been designed to draw maximum daylight and natural ventilation, while a neutral colour palette has been selected to promote a calming effect on additional learning needs (ALN) pupils.
ISG operations director Kevin McElroy said: “Bringing new learning spaces to Ysgol Y Deri resonates deeply with us. With external spaces designed to function as an extension to the school buildings, the project pursues the balance for pupils both in study and social wellbeing and provides holistic spaces for their additional learning needs.”
