News

New schools to open thanks to £70m investment

Published

8 years ago

September 1, 2018

THREE brand new secondary schools are set to open in the county this month, funded by more than £70 million by Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Government.

Welcoming hundreds of pupils through their doors for the first time are Ysgol Harri Tudur/ Henry Tudor School in Pembroke; Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest and Ysgol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru Penrhyn Dewi in St Davids.

The schools are part of the 21st Century Schools investment programme run by the County Council in collaboration with the Welsh Government.

Darren Thomas, Programme Manager and the Council’s Head of Infrastructure, said he was delighted that the three major projects had been delivered successfully.

“We’d like to thank the staff, governing bodies and local communities of the three schools who have undertaken a tremendous amount of work to ensure that the new schools have opened on time and within budget,” he said.

Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School is an entirely new build on the Bush school site in Pembroke, accommodating all pupils from the former Pembroke School.

The flagship project cost £38.3 million and is the largest ever project undertaken by the County Council.

The 11-19 secondary school was built by construction company Bouygues UK and provides education for 1,463 children and an autism centre for 30 learners.

Work will now begin to demolish the old Pembroke School and the former Pembroke Grammar School buildings, with the aim of completing all work on site by August 2019.

Headteacher Fiona Kite said: ”Last year we held a competition among staff and students to create a motto for our new school.

“The winning entry, ‘Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow’ embodies the aims of Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School to fulfil the potential and dreams of all pupils and students who learn with us, whether onto further academic study at A Level or undergraduate level or into employment and training.

“The impressive new school building is just the beginning of an exciting time for education for everyone who works and learns at Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School.

The school will open its doors to pupils on Thursday, 6th September.

Ysgol Caer Elen is a brand new £28.1million Welsh medium school in Haverfordwest for children aged 3-16.

The school replaces the former Welsh-language primary school in the town – Ysgol Glan Cleddau – and provides secondary education in Welsh for children aged 11-16 for the first time ever in the centre of the County.

Headteacher Mike Davies said it’s an exciting time for the Welsh language in Pembrokeshire.

“The establishment of Ysgol Caer Elen is a celebration of the success of Welsh medium education in the county. Our aim will be to develop a pioneering 3-16 school which will deliver Welsh medium education of the highest quality in partnership with the feeder primary schools and Ysgol y Preseli.

“One of the main strengths of our school will be its caring, open and happy ethos where pupils feel at home and enjoy their education in a totally Welsh environment.

“One of our main aims will be to make learning an exciting and pleasurable experience and we are confident that our pupils will be proud of their new school, proud of their Cymreictod and their bilingualism.“

Ysgol Caer Elen includes a 600-place secondary provision, 315-place primary provision and 45-place nursery, as well as a 24-place Cylch Meithin (Welsh-language playgroup).

Separate entrances have been provided for the different age groups. Post-16 Welsh-medium education will continue to be provided at Ysgol y Preseli in Crymych.
Contractors Wilmott Dixon will continue to work on some parts of the site not required by the current year groups until late autumn (as scheduled).

The school’s first day of the new term is Thursday, September 6th.

Ysgol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru Penrhyn Dewi is a new 3-16 school for the St Davids Peninsula, operating across the three sites formerly known as Ysgol Dewi Sant, Ysgol Bro Dewi and Solva Community School.
Penrhyn Dewi will be the first Church in Wales secondary phase school to open since the 1920s and the Church’s first 3-16 school.

The former Ysgol Dewi Sant site has seen £4 million investment into a part-new build and remodelling of teaching accommodation.

Post-16 provision for pupils is available at the new sixth form centre in Haverfordwest as part of a formal collaboration between the County Council and Pembrokeshire College.

Penrhyn Dewi will welcome its first intake of pupils across all three sites on Thursday, 6th September.

Headteacher David Haynes said: “‘I am thrilled that we are about to open the doors to Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi VA and I am sure that the pupils will benefit greatly from the improvements that have been made to the buildings.

“I would personally like to thank the older pupils who have been travelling to Haverfordwest over the last year while the work has been completed, together with the parents and the teachers who have supported them greatly during this time.

“Many thanks also to WB Griffiths and Pembrokeshire County Council who have worked tirelessly with the temporary governing body in order to deliver the project on time.”

Pembrokeshire County Councillor David Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “The transformation of the schools’ estate of the county is a testimony to the vision and drive of a group of officers lead by the former Leader, Councillor Jamie Adams.

“The fact that it has been the second largest 21st Century Schools Programme in Wales gives the scale of this achievement.

“It was badly needed. The Victorian primary schools and the 50’s secondary schools were no longer fit places for our children to be taught in.

“We are now able, however, to offer some of the best education centres in Wales for the benefit of future generations.”

Two more brand new schools are also coming into existence this week.

Sir Thomas Picton School and Tasker Milward VC School are merging to form Haverfordwest High VC School, with pupils continuing to receive their education on the two sites for now.

In July, at a meeting of full Council, members expressed their preference for a brand new school building at the Sir Thomas Picton site. The Council will now proceed to submit a business case for the development to the Welsh Government.

The other new school starting this week is Milford Haven Community Primary School, which will replace the Meads Infants School and Milford Haven Junior School. Pupils will continue to receive their education on the two sites.

Business

Plaid energy policy challenged by Labour after Adam Price interview

Published

17 hours ago

May 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

LABOUR SAYS MINISTERS MUST EXPLAIN COST AND TIMETABLE FOR PYLON PLANS

PLAID CYMRU’S approach to energy infrastructure has come under scrutiny after Energy Minister Adam Price was challenged over plans to reduce the use of overhead pylons in Wales.

Mr Price defended the Welsh Government’s position during an appearance on BBC Radio Wales’ Sunday Supplement, arguing that communities must have greater confidence in how major grid projects are handled.

Plaid Cymru has pledged to give communities a stronger voice over energy developments and to look more closely at alternatives to overhead transmission lines, including underground cabling where possible.

The issue has become increasingly sensitive in rural parts of Wales, where proposed pylon routes linked to renewable energy schemes have raised concerns about landscape impact, tourism and local consultation.

However, Welsh Labour said the minister had failed to explain when any restriction on pylons would take effect, or who would pay the additional cost of placing cables underground.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “Adam Price keeps saying how clear their manifesto was and yet he won’t say when they’re banning pylons. They won’t say who is paying for the extra cost of undergrounding cables.

“Without certainty, companies won’t invest. That’s thousands of clean, green energy jobs at risk. Plaid need more than a plan to have a plan.”

Labour said the Welsh Government must now set out how its policy would work in practice, including whether it amounts to an outright ban, what exemptions would apply, and how any extra costs would be funded.

The debate highlights the challenge facing ministers as Wales seeks to expand renewable energy generation while addressing public opposition to large-scale grid infrastructure.

Community

Pembroke Fair praised as well-organised community event

Published

18 hours ago

May 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

HORSES, STALLS AND FAMILY CROWDS RETURN TO MONKTON

FAMILIES, horse owners and visitors turned out in force for Pembroke Fair on Saturday (May 23), with many praising the event as one of the best organised in recent years.

Held at the Community Centre Field in Monkton, the annual fair brought together horse owners, traders and local families for a traditional day centred around horses, ponies, stalls and socialising.

Coloured cobs, heavy horses, ponies and horse-drawn traps attracted attention throughout the day, with many visitors gathering around the field to watch the animals being shown and led around the site.

A variety of stalls selling everything from clothing and ornaments to tack and second-hand goods helped create a lively market atmosphere, while food vendors kept visitors fed throughout the day.

Despite overcast conditions at times, the event remained busy, with many attendees staying for several hours to enjoy the traditional fair atmosphere.

Community members later took to social media to praise the smooth running of the event, with several publicly thanking organiser Charlie Price for his efforts in bringing the fair together.

Comments described the day as “well organised” and praised the welcoming atmosphere, with many saying it was encouraging to see a long-standing local tradition continuing to thrive.

The fair once again brought together members of the travelling community, local residents and horse enthusiasts from across west Wales.

A horse drive was also due to take place on Sunday (May 24), continuing the weekend’s celebrations.

Photo captions:

Traditional gathering: Horses, ponies, horse-drawn carts and market stalls drew crowds to Pembroke Fair in Monkton on Saturday (Pic: Herald).

News

Watchdog criticises health board over £10m GP contract checks

Published

2 days ago

May 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A HEALTH board has been criticised by Audit Wales after GP contracts worth more than £10m were awarded without sufficient due diligence checks.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board allowed a GP partnership associated with eHarley Street Primary Care Solutions to take on eight GP contracts in south-east Wales, with a combined annual value of around £10.1m.

Audit Wales said the board should have carried out greater scrutiny before approving the arrangements, including checks on financial resilience, workforce plans, business risks and the partnership’s ability to manage several practices at once.

However, the watchdog found no evidence of fraud and noted the board was dealing with significant pressure in general practice, including vacant contracts and limited interest from other bidders.

The report said weaknesses in governance and scrutiny contributed to later disruption and uncertainty for patients and staff when problems emerged.

Concerns included financial and workforce pressures, unpaid invoices, and issues relating to tax and pension payments. Some contracts were later handed back, requiring the health board to step in to protect services.

Natasha Asghar MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Minister for Health and Social Care, said the findings were “deeply concerning”.

She said: “Patients and staff were left facing disruption and uncertainty because proper scrutiny was not carried out before these contracts were awarded.

“The Welsh Conservatives believe lessons must be learned to ensure robust checks are in place, protect frontline services and restore confidence in primary care across Wales.”

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board accepted the recommendations and said it had already strengthened its processes.

Audit Wales said the case highlighted the need for stronger checks before GP contracts are transferred, particularly when a single partnership is taking on multiple practices in a short period.