Cardiff's new Fairwater Community Campus opened this term, adding 142 extra places for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) across Riverbank School and Woodlands High School. The £110m campus brings together Cantonian High School, Woodlands High School and Riverbank School on a single state-of-the-art site.
New facilities and expanded capacity
Riverbank School and Woodlands High School, part of the Western Learning Federation, relocated from their former sites in Ely to the new campus. Woodlands has expanded from 140 to 240 places, while Riverbank has grown from 70 to 112 places, bringing the total to 352 spaces. Cardiff Council said the expansion helps meet growing demand for ALN places in the city.
Both schools feature learning and wellbeing zones, an immersion room, learning resource centres, music and drama spaces. There is also sensory movement and therapy provision, staff wellness areas, family rooms and specialist therapy areas. A vocational enterprise hub, known as the Pontio, will help pupils develop life and employment skills.
Specialist facilities and campus integration
Woodlands High School includes a gym, activity studio, esports room and sixth form facilities, while Riverbank pupils have access to a role play cabin. The full campus also offers a community café, family and meeting spaces, a climbing wall and outdoor growing areas. A multi-agency hub brings health and education professionals together on site.
While the schools share the campus, they operate as separate entities, each retaining its own identity, leadership and governing body. Cantonian High School provides mainstream secondary and post-16 education, while Riverbank and Woodlands deliver specialist provision for ALN pupils.
Final phase of major investment
The completion of the schools marks the final phase of the Fairwater Community Campus development, described as the largest project delivered through Cardiff Council and Welsh Government's Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. The campus is designed to be net zero carbon.
Wayne Murphy, executive headteacher at Western Learning Federation, said: "The move into our new buildings represents an exciting new chapter for Riverbank School and Woodlands High School as part of the Western Learning Federation."
"Fairwater Community Campus has been designed to create inspiring opportunities for our learners, with learning environments that support the development and application of skills through engaging experiences. Alongside outstanding specialist facilities and integrated support services, the campus will enable us to deliver an inclusive, exciting and skills-focused curriculum while maintaining the unique identity and ethos of each school."
