THE NEW YEAR has seen the launch of a new chapter for education in Johnston, with the opening of a £6.4 million primary school in the village.
The new Johnston CP School at Langford Road opened its doors to pupils on Thursday (Jan 5), replacing the old school building at Cranham Park.
It will cater for 210 full-time pupils as well as providing nursery facilities and a Learning Resource Centre (LRC) which will cater for up to 20 children with complex or additional needs.
Headteacher Mr Gareth Thomas said the new school was a late Christmas present for pupils – and something which the children and community richly deserve.
“The children all walked in completely awestruck by the new facilities, and yet within just a couple of days they have settled in really well and it feels like we’ve been here for ever!” he said.
“The building is having a positive effect on their learning and their behaviour, and the new facilities are enhancing their experience right throughout the day. We have space to breathe and space to grow.”
He added that parents of new pupils attending the LRC were delighted with the facilities and the welcome given to them by the new staff.
Johnston is the third new school to open in Pembrokeshire in the last few months and was funded jointly by Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Government under the 21st Century Schools Programme.
As well as the infant and junior classrooms, early years unit and LRC, there is a technology room, library, plant room, hall and kitchen. The outdoor spaces includes learning, social and play areas and a multi-use games area – with some facilities accessible to the community out of school hours. The development also includes a new footpath and crossing to link with the existing footpath on Langford Road.
The school was designed by the Pembrokeshire County Council’s in-house design team and constructed by West Wales contractor W.B.Griffiths and Son, who completed the build in October 2016.
The design philosophy behind the building was to provide a spacious, light-filled and naturally ventilated school, with the intention of also reducing the long-term energy consumption of the building. The building services have been designed to keep energy consumption to a minimum and to provide energy-monitoring facilities for the building users, as well as providing free, ‘green’ electricity for the running of the school via the photovoltaics.
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