PLANS to build a new 150-place dual stream primary school in Powys will go before Powys County Council’s (PCC) cabinet next week.

The local authority says the plans, if green lighted by the Welsh Government, could transform education for south Powys learners.

The council is planning to build a new 150-place dual stream primary school to replace Sennybridge County Primary School’s current building.

The council’s strategic outline case for the new school was approved earlier this year by the Welsh Government. As part of the next stage of the project, the council has prepared an outline business case, which will be considered by cabinet on Tuesday, September 27.

The investment plans will help the council deliver its ‘Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys’, which has been updated following the county council elections that took place in May – and brought in a sea change in the council’s political make-up, with a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition now in power.

Cabinet will be told that the funding required for the replacement school would be £11.1 million, with 65 per cent of that coming from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. The remaining 35 per cent would be funded by the council.

If the outline business case is approved by cabinet, it will be submitted to the Welsh Government for their approval.

Councillor Pete Roberts, cabinet member for a Learning Powys, said: “Sennybridge CP School’s existing building is not suitable to meet the needs of a 21st century curriculum or meet the well-being needs of pupils.

“The new school for Sennybridge would provide facilities that the children deserves and will enable the curriculum to be delivered in a continuous and coherent way from the foundation stage through to the end of key stage 2.

“It will allow the continuation of Welsh medium education in the area while early years childcare provision can be co-located onto one site.

“If the outline business case is approved by both cabinet and the Welsh Government, this would represent another huge investment in our school infrastructure.”

For more information about transforming education in Powys, visit https://en.powys.gov.uk/transformingeducation.