Work progresses on £20m Ysgol Llyn Derw in Penarth

Work at Ysgol Llyn Derw, the second site to special needs school Ysgol y Deri, has been no easy feat after a series of setbacks but staff have informed pupils, parents and guardians online that this summer marked the beginning of their move into the new site.

Vale of Glamorgan Council’s cabinet members approved plans to expand Ysgol y Deri with a new site in April 2021.

This £20m new school build will provide space for an additional 150 pupils with additional learning needs.

The plans include indoor spaces for the school that have been arranged over two storeys and allow for the most efficient building shape, all while maintaining a compact footprint and as much external space as possible.

Outside, the landscape surrounding the school buildings will function as an extension, offering teaching spaces and areas for sport, play, socialising, relaxation and reflection.

An artist’s impression of what the new Ysgol Y Deri building on land at Lower Cosmeston Farm would look like once completed (Image: Archive)

The school’s design will benefit from maximum daylight and ventilation, as well as connecting views between indoor and outdoor learning and play spaces.

Green roofs will also add to biodiversity, ensuring a consistent connection to the natural environment.

This school, located on land in Cosmeston, may not be finished yet but its addition to the landscape is one that many feel is much needed.

In March 2023, Ysgol y Deri headteacher Chris Britten spoke at a Vale of Glamorgan Council planning meeting to let councillors know just how desperately needed this expansion was.

Work on Ysgol Llyn Derw began in April 2024 and has faced a number of setbacks since.

It was originally expected to be complete by the summer term in June 2025, but construction is still ongoing, though it seems as though the finishing touches are being put in place.

Many parents and carers have already taken to social media to express their joy and excitement of the move into this new site – now, one of the final steps is to get the pupils inside and into their classrooms.

Ysgol y Deri, which featured in the BBC documentary ‘A Special School’, has been called Britain’s biggest special needs school.