Willmott Dixon has been awarded a contract by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to build a new English-medium primary school in Glyn-coch, South Wales.

The new school will be built to Passivhaus standards and operate as net zero, surpassing current Welsh Government targets for reductions in embodied carbon for new schools. The project forms part of Willmott Dixon’s growing portfolio of sustainable educational developments.

Appointed via SEWSCAP, the scheme will see a two-storey replacement school building constructed on the existing Craig yr Hesg Primary School site and adjoining land. The facility will include two Multi-Use Games Areas, a grass sports pitch, playgrounds, a 43-space car park with EV charging bays, and bike, scooter, and buggy storage to encourage sustainable travel. In addition, the development will feature three dedicated community rooms and a Welsh-language Meithrin.

The project received grant funding through the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Schools Challenge Project, part of the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, in spring 2023. It is one of only three schools in Wales to secure investment through this initiative.

A traditional turf-cutting ceremony marked the official start of construction, attended by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Cabinet Members, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Member of the Senedd Vikki Howells, and MP Alex Davies-Jones. The school is scheduled to open in autumn 2026, welcoming pupils from Cefn Primary and Craig yr Hesg Primary.

Working with architect Stride Treglown, the school and community hub will target multiple green credentials, including Passivhaus Standard, Building With Nature accreditation, and the WELL Building Standard, which focuses on creating healthy environments to support wellbeing. Sustainable features will include rain gardens and nature-based solutions to manage surface water.

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