End Of An Era For Oakdale And Pontllanfraith Comprehensives

The last day of term signals the start of the 6 week school summer holidays, but in Oakdale and Pontllanfraith it also marked the end of an era for two long-standing Comprehensive Schools. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Oakdale and Pontllanfraith Comprehensives officially closed their doors to pupils and staff on 20th July. Both schools will be replaced with a new multi-million pound ‘super school’ which will open in 2017. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The replacement school, called Islwyn High School, is currently under construction at a nearby site in Oakdale and will provide state-of-the-art facilities for pupils. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Whilst the existing Oakdale and Pontllanfraith school sites will still be used for a short period after the start of the new term in September, they will operate as ‘Islwyn High School’ until the new school development is completed. The old buildings will then be finally vacated for the last time. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Derek Havard, CCBC Cabinet Member for Education said, “It’s always a sad day when a school closes its doors, but it was good to see that staff and pupils at both sites organised a number of special events to celebrate the history and legacy of these special schools.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We are now looking to the future and I’m confident that the new facilities being developed at Islwyn High School will provide a first class learning environment for generations of pupils to come,” he added. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​