Schools and colleges throughout Wales are gearing up for gold stars thanks to an additional £20 million funding allocation to support essential capital repairs and maintenance.

The funding, which is part of the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, will support large scale maintenance works such as the replacement of roofs, window systems, heating and ventilation systems, and electrical works.

The Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme has already rebuilt or refurbished 20% of the school estate over the last decade, and the funding for capital maintenance during 2025-26 now totals £50 million. 

The Welsh Government’s total 2025-26 investment allocation through the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme is now £391 million – the highest annual investment since commencing in 2014. 

The programme also assists Wales’s climate goals as all maintenance works funded through this allocation must help reduce energy use and carbon emissions. The funding aids improvements such as better insulation, efficient heating and energy-efficient windows creating more sustainable learning environments that are cheaper to run and better for the environment. 

“Maintaining our schools and colleges in good condition is essential for providing the best learning environments for our young people,” commented the cabinet secretary for education, Lynne Neagle.

“Since 2018, we have invested £314 million  in maintenance for schools and colleges across Wales. This additional £20 million will help local authorities and colleges address maintenance needs and demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our education estate is fit for purpose whilst driving forward targets for a net zero carbon Education Estate in Wales.”

A primary school built in 2016 is facing a full roof replacement after years of leaks and structural deterioration — but Pembrokeshire County Council is refusing to disclose how much the work will cost taxpayers.

A NEWLY built Pembrokeshire school is facing a full roof replacement less than a decade after opening, with Pembrokeshire County Council refusing to disclose how much the work will cost the public.

Tenby Church in Wales VC School, a 3–11 English-medium primary school with an additional Learning Resource Centre provision, was completed in 2016. However, just a few years later, reports of water ingress began to emerge, with the situation worsening to the point where more than 500 temporary supports are now holding up parts of the roof.

The council has confirmed that it holds multiple condition and engineering reports relating to the roof dating back to January 2020, and that the issue has been discussed at Cabinet level on more than one occasion.

However, in a response to a Freedom of Information request, Pembrokeshire County Council has refused to disclose the total estimated cost of repairs, temporary works, or a planned full roof replacement, citing commercial sensitivity.

The council has also declined to release any correspondence between itself, the Welsh Government and the school’s governing body relating to warranties, insurance claims, or liability for the roof defects, again relying on exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Herald received the FOI response on Friday, January 9, 2026. In it, the council confirmed that while reports and assessments exist — and have been presented to Cabinet — key financial and contractual details are being withheld from public view.

The Herald previously reported in November that Cabinet members approved a £75,000 feasibility budget to explore options for tackling the ongoing roof leaks, including the possibility of a complete roof replacement. At that time, councillors were told that repeated water ingress had resulted in a weakening of the structure and components within the roof construction.

As part of urgent health and safety measures, the council installed 510 ‘acro’ props to support vulnerable roof areas and fully closed the Early Years and Playgroup wing. In 2024, the school’s solar photovoltaic array was also removed on engineer advice to reduce loading on the roof.

A Cabinet report stated that the favoured option is the replacement of the entire roof, a course of action that would require a comprehensive decant strategy to relocate pupils while works are carried out.

Presenting the findings of the feasibility study, the Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, telling members that the wellbeing of learners and staff was the council’s priority and that efforts would be made to move forward as quickly as possible.

Despite those assurances, the council has not confirmed whether it expects to recover costs through warranties, insurance, or third-party liability, or whether the financial burden could ultimately fall on the public purse.

In its FOI response, the authority said releasing cost information or correspondence could prejudice commercial interests and negatively affect negotiations with contractors or other third parties. It concluded that there was a greater public interest in withholding the information than in disclosure.

The decision is likely to fuel anger among parents and residents, with many questioning how a school building less than ten years old has deteriorated to the point of requiring hundreds of emergency supports and a potential full roof replacement — and why the true cost of that failure is being kept from public view.

Pembrokeshire County Council has not said when, or if, the total cost of the works will be made public.

A CALL for potentially life-saving EpiPens to become a part of school equipment in Pembrokeshire will be considered by senior councillors in 2026.

In a notice of motion heard at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy asked the council adopt a policy for Epi-pens to become part of school first aid equipment.

Emergency adrenaline auto-injectors, commonly known as EpiPens, are commonly used in the emergency treatment of Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.

Cllr Murphy, in his notice of motion, asked that “Pembrokeshire County Council work with all schools to develop a policy where all schools hold epi-pens as part of their first aid equipment”.

It added: “PCC can negotiate on behalf of our schools with the suppliers of such equipment to achieve best value through bulk purchasing. The immediate availability of epi-pens in an emergency involving a pupil on school premises has the potential reduce the risk of a tragic outcome.

“As some background in relation to this NoM is that the April 2025 meeting of the Schools O&S Committee debated the subject of epi-pens.

“The current policy from Welsh Government states that it’s a matter for individual School Governing bodies to decide whether to stock epi-pens for use in an emergency should a pupil suffer anaphylactic shock, and should they wish to purchase epi-pens then each school does this on an individual basis.

“The Schools O&S Committee in April 2025 resolved to write to Welsh Government (WG) to highlight the epi-pens issue, which the Chair of the Schools O&S did. Since April 2025 the Schools O&S Committee have received no update from WG and a period of nearly eight months has elapsed.

“The safety and well-being of pupils is a matter of priority and in view of the lack of response (I would argue lamentably so) from WG I feel PCC should proceed to develop our own policy to ensure that every LA school in Pembrokeshire hold epi-pens for use in an emergency, hence this NoM.”

Members agreed Cllr Murphy’s notice be sent to the council’s Cabinet, whose next meeting takes place in 2026, for further consideration.