As reported last November, Bridgend Council has exchanged contracts to buy land near Ffordd Cadfan (off the Princess Way/Shephards Vet roundabout on the Brackla/Coity Higher boundary) to build a replacement for Ysgol Bro Ogwr (pdf).
The new school would have a 90-capacity nursery and be 2.5 form entry (525 pupil capacity). There would also be an observation and assessment unit for students with additional learning needs.
The total capacity of the replacement school isn’t stated but you would assume it would be larger than Ysgol Bro Ogwr, which currently has around 300 pupils on roll and is the largest Welsh-medium primary school in the county.
A proposal to relocate the school to Brackla Hill was thrown out in early 2021. Three alternative sites were considered, with the Ffordd Cadfan site deemed to be ultimately more cost-effective than the Brackla Hill proposal – which would’ve involved significant earthworks.
The Welsh Government has already approved an outline business case. The move will also require a formal consultation process with teachers, students and parents of Ysgol Bro Ogwr.
The expected budget for the new school currently stands at £12.6million. It’s intended to open the replacement school in September 2025.
The report adds that the existing Ysgol Bro Ogwr site on Meadow Rise would likely become a new English-medium primary school (presumably to deal with overcrowding at Coety Primary).
It’s unclear at this point what impact a new English-medium primary school on the Meadows Estate would have on the catchment areas of Penybont Primary and Brackla Primary, or expected future pupil numbers at Brynteg and Pencoed comprehensive schools respectively (Coety Primary is in Pencoed’s catchment area).
