Construction officially commences on the new Willows High School designed by AtkinsRéalis

A special ground-breaking ceremony has marked the start of construction of the new home for Willows High School, which has been designed by AtkinsRéalis.

The £60m project is the latest of Cardiff's education developments delivered under Cardiff Council and Welsh Governments Band B Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and will see the existing Willows High School relocated and rebuilt to provide capacity for 900 learners aged 11 to 16 years, in addition to a 30 place Special Resource Base for pupils with Complex Learning Needs.

Staff and pupils attend the ground breaking event for the new Willows High School

The new school will provide excellent quality education environments to support and enhance teaching and learning, as well as comprehensive sports facilities including sports hall, gym, drama studio and grass pitches which will be available for public use outside of school hours. 

The scheme will also deliver enhanced pedestrian facilities to support active travel arrangements at the new school site.

This school will be Net Zero Carbon – both in embodied carbon with the building, materials used and in operation on completion, in line with Welsh Government standards.

The ground was cut at the site by Cardiff Council's Leader, Cllr Huw Thomas, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry and Willows High School headteacher Chris Norman. They were joined by representatives from Welsh Government, school governors, local councillors and Year 7 pupils from the school.

Also in attendance were representatives from Morgan Sindall Construction, the contractor chosen to undertake the detailed design and build of the scheme.

Designs for the new Willows High School, by AtkinsRéalis

Headteacher Chris Norman said: "All of us at Willows are absolutely delighted to have reached this momentous milestone, this is a highly significant time for our community. Moving to a new school site will help us build on our successes and provide the outstanding facilities that our pupils, staff and community deserve."

Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council, and Cabinet Member for Education Cllr Sarah Merry, said: "Upon completion, the new Willows High School will offer outstanding educational resources, expertise, and teaching opportunities for both students and staff.

"This project reflects a substantial investment in the local area, benefiting the entire community with enhanced facilities, including sports fields accessible for public use.

"Breaking the ground at the site marks an exciting milestone in the school's development, and I am eager to witness the progress as the new school comes to life."

Alan Jarvie, education sector director at AtkinsRéalis said: “As lead consultant, we have had the opportunity to bring a full range of multi-disciplinary skills to the project - including architects, landscape architects and engineers - to create an inspiring place for students to learn, and for the staff to work in.

“Sustainability is at the heart of the building design as it meets Welsh Government and Cardiff Council’s net zero targets and will transform the former area of industrial land, bringing huge benefits and adding social value to the wider community as well.

“It also has a raft of facilities making it a truly inclusive learning environment, including the Special Resource Base which can accommodate up 30 pupils with ALN requirements.

“The new Willows High School represents another significant school building project for AtkinsRéalis in Wales where we have been working with a number of local authorities to design and engineer a better future for the next generation of school children and citizens.

“Our team based in Cardiff is looking forward to working with our partners to help the building take shape.”

Rob Williams, Area Director at Morgan Sindall Construction in Wales said: "Breaking ground on the new Willows High School highlights our commitment to driving progress across Wales. This £60 million investment will not only provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for 900 pupils, but will also offer valuable community resources through its comprehensive sports facilities.

"As we start construction, we're eager to collaborate closely with Cardiff Council and the school community to create a space where young minds can develop. Our team at Morgan Sindall Construction is proud to play a crucial role in shaping the future of education in Cardiff, and we look forward to seeing this transformative project come to life."

Designs for the new Willows High School, by AtkinsRéalis

The brand-new accommodation is being constructed on land off Lewis Road in Splott and the enabling works associated with the scheme have been carried out by Morgan Sindall Construction since August 2023. These have included a stopping up order on Lewis Road and relevant highways works to allow development to take place, construction of active travel routes to the eastern perimeter of the site and demolition of existing buildings located on Portmanmor Road and at Splott Market site.

Installation of new utilities and relocation of existing services, excavation and groundworks including the removal of contaminated material following disturbance of ground and the installation of secure fencing around site boundary have also been carried out in preparation for the main works to begin.

It is anticipated that the new school will be completed in the 2026/27 academic year.

About AtkinsRéalis

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.