Pupils at a special school in Carmarthenshire have voiced strong support for a new, larger facility, with particular enthusiasm for outdoor space. Fifteen students from Ysgol Heol Goffa responded to a council consultation about relocating the Llanelli school to a new site in the town.
Their feedback was included in a report presented to cabinet members, who voted to press ahead with the next phase of the relocation process.
Pupil feedback and school capacity
The report said the teenage pupils were enthusiastic about larger classrooms and improved facilities and wanted adequate outdoor areas for socialising and physical activity. They also sought reassurance that the proposed 150-place school would be big enough to meet future demand.
The new school would be on council-owned land by Ysgol Pen Rhos, just under two miles from its current location. The planned move, subject to funding and other approvals, would be in September 2029.
Pupils had previously looked forward to a new 120-place Ysgol Heol Goffa when plans were unveiled in early 2023, but that scheme was subsequently shelved on cost grounds.
Funding and consultation responses
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on November 2, Cllr Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education, said Ysgol Goffa “means so much to so many people” and that upgrading the current site would be unacceptable and impossible with pupils and staff there. Cllr Davies said 75% of the funding for the new school could come from the Welsh Government. “I’m very hopeful that that will happen,” he said.
High-cost elements of the previous design, such as a hydrotherapy pool, have been removed. Ysgol Heol Goffa has 118 places but it had 132 registered pupils as of January this year.
There were 46 responses by adults to the consultation, of which 42 supported the proposal and four did not, mainly around the proposed school’s capacity. Inspection body Estyn was also supportive.
Next steps for the relocation
Cllr Jane Tremlett, cabinet member for integrated health and children and adult social services, said she’d seen the excellent work done at Ysgol Heol Goffa during a visit some years ago. “I also know the need for a new school with improved facilities for pupils, staff and greater capacity to meet demand,” she said.
The Plaid-Independent-led authority will now publish a statutory notice, giving people another opportunity to object. This will be considered by cabinet prior to a final decision by full council.
