Ysgol Bae Baglan, Port Talbot, was officially opened by the then Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams, on 13th March 2017. The school took eighteen months to build, at a cost of 40 million pounds (joint funded by Neath Port Talbot County Council and the Welsh Government's 21st Century Schools and Education Programme.) The project partners were AECOM ? MEP, Cambria Consulting Structural & Civil Engineers, Stride Treglown Landscape Architect, Bouygues Construction UK. Main Contractor ? Design & Build.

'The new building has capacity for 1500 pupils, and replaces three secondary and one primary school.' When Ysgol Bae Baglan opened it was 'one of only seven all-through schools in Wales that will educate pupils from age three to sixteen' and there is a 'fully inclusive 100 pupil SEN (Special Educational Needs) facility at the heart of the school.'

The school was built 'as a community facility' so 'it is open to the community outside normal school hours and is used for a variety of cultural, social and sporting events throughout the year. Core spaces are designed for flexibility, allowing the space to expand and contract to accommodate a variety of activities.'

In 2017 the school won two awards for it's architecture or construction: the National Eisteddfod of Wales `Gold Medal for Architecture? and 'Project of the Year - Buildings' at the Constructing Excellence in Wales awards.

Sources: Welsh Government news article published on 13th March 2017; www.cewales.org.uk; www.stridetreglown.com and http://www.cynnalcymru.com.
RCAHMW 13th August 2018.