13/3/2025

Year 5 pupils from Ton-Yr-Ywen Primary School in Heath have enjoyed a unique opportunity to witness the exciting process of construction through site visits to two of Cardiff's largest school development projects - Cantonian High School at Fairwater Community Campus and the new Willows High School.

Delivered in collaboration with Cardiff Council under the ‘Tech Transformers' program, the visits are designed to provide an authentic learning experience focused on the impact of technology in construction and design.

As part of the project, pupils were given a brief to design a new Nursery and Reception building for their own school and conducted focus groups with staff, fellow pupils, and parents to gather insights on what makes an effective learning space.

They met with Andrew Street, an architect from Arcadis, to explore the school design process further and working collaboratively in groups, used Minecraft for Education to create digital models of their designs, integrating sustainability considerations into their plans.

The culmination of their project saw them don hard-hats and high-visibility vests as they embarked on site visits to the new Cantonian High School build located at the £110m Fairwater Community Campus development and the £60m new build Willows High School, which are both well-underway.

The visits included presentations where pupils explored digital plans and visual projections of the completed schools, guided tours of the live construction sites and real-world insights into the different phases of school development, including land assembly, planning, decision-making, budgeting, sustainability, and material selection.

The pupils also participated in a hands-on construction-related activity, using CONSTRUCT IT Design Challenge resources to create their own school floorplan, fostering their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Annette James-Griffiths, Headteacher at the school said: "At Ton Yr Ywen we are proud of the authentic and purposeful learning experiences that have been developed in partnership with our Cluster. This project has provided our learners with opportunities for active learning, rooted in the real-life context of designing a new early years building on our site. The learning has provided rich opportunities for learners to make and apply connections across areas of the curriculum - working locally and across Cardiff - in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments.

"I would like to thank our teachers Katie Baldwin and Cristyn Harris for their hard work in delivering this project and to the Local Authority for their support in helping bringing this project to life, by making this visit possible."

Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry said: "This project has provided pupils with a valuable learning experience giving them a meaningful insight into understanding how school design caters to the needs of pupils and how buildings are adaptable for educational requirements.

"Through these hands-on experiences and immersive learning opportunities, children can be inspired to think critically and creatively and feel empowered to engage with the real-world applications of construction, technology, and design, offering valuable insight into the built environment around them."

You can read the latest on Fairwater Community Campus here: Interim Principal Contractor appointed to restart Fairwater Community Campus construction project

More on Willows High School can be found here:  Construction officially commences on the new Willows High School