A vacant former primary school in Merthyr Tydfil could be used to provide additional capacity for a special school until a new purpose-built facility is completed. The proposal involves using the former St Mary's Primary School as an interim solution from April 2027.
Interim Plan for Greenfield Special School
A report going before cabinet and full council on Thursday, October 22 recommends using the vacated St Mary's Primary School to provide extra capacity for Greenfield Special School. This would serve as a temporary measure until the completion of a new purpose-built special school.
The report states that while additional revenue spend is needed to support increased pupil numbers and the temporary satellite provision, the costs are significantly lower than securing equivalent out-of-county placements. It supports a "more sustainable long-term solution for the local authority."
Funding and Timeline
Tendered costs have been received for the capital maintenance and improvement work required at St Mary's Primary School for use by Greenfield, with completion proposed by March 2027.
Full council approved the inclusion of a new purpose-built Greenfield Special School within the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme in March 2023. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2029 and is expected to provide sufficient capacity to meet forecast demand for specialist provision across the county borough over the longer term.
Capacity Pressures
The report says that while the new school represents the long-term solution, significant capacity pressures exist before its completion. Greenfield Special School has expanded through the use of available accommodation on its existing site, including temporary accommodation, but opportunities for further expansion are now "significantly constrained."
Greenfield currently has 231 pupils on roll with capacity for only 219 pupils, meaning the school is 5.5% oversubscribed. Numbers on roll are expected to reach 264 by September 2029, which would equate to the school being 20.5% oversubscribed.
Financial Considerations
It is proposed to use £376,104 from the Welsh Government ALN Capital Grant and £752,207 from the Welsh Government Schools Capital Maintenance Grant additional allocation, providing a total project budget of £1,128,311.
Based on the average cost of a Greenfield placement over the last three academic years, the gross funding needed per pupil place including estimated transport costs is around £29,000 per place per year. Without additional Greenfield capacity, the council would likely need to secure out-of-county placements, which are estimated to cost between £48,000 and £99,000 per place, depending on the type and availability of places.
The report says St Mary's is the preferred option as it provides the additional specialist places required within the necessary timescale, can be delivered within the available grant funding, and offers suitable accommodation and accessibility at a significantly lower capital cost than the alternative option. The net revenue costs of using St Mary's would be £79,464 in 2027/28, £353,658 in 2028/29, and £171,353 in 2029/30, totalling £604,475. The proposed option has "significantly lower costs" of between £477,000 and £2.28m than securing equivalent out-of-county placements over the same period.
