ALMOST one year to the day since part of a Newport primary school had to be closed for safety reasons, plans for a new £10 million replacement building have been revealed.

This time last year council inspectors had to close a building at St Andrew's Primary School for safety reasons.

Most of the school's more than 200 junior pupils are currently having lessons at Newport Live's Connect Centre, while building work goes on at their usual school site at the corner of Jenkins Street and Corporation Road.

They aren't expected to return until September 2023, by which time a replacement building for Key Stage 2 learners will have been built at St Andrew's, it has been revealed.

The city council has hailed the confirmation of £10 million more in funding as "great news", and will now draw up designs for the new school building.

Why is there disruption at St Andrew's Primary?

The school was closed last spring because "significant structural issues" were found in the one of the main buildings, including "complex foundation defects".

Since then, most Key Stage 2 pupils have been attending lessons at the Connect Centre, in Mendalgief Road, and special education needs (SEN) has continued in a temporary cabin on the school site.

Newport City Council expects the school's Key Stage 2 building will be demolished in the coming months, and the new classrooms built in its place. Clearance work is expected to take place this summer, to minimise disruption to education.

What has been said about the plans?

The £10 million funding was secured when the Welsh Government approved a request to change the school's improvement programme.

City council leader Jane Mudd welcomed the "great news" and said officers would now work with property management partner Newport Norse "to develop designs for a permanent solution" for St Andrew's Primary, where "it is expected that staff and pupils will be able to return from September 2023 and whole school can be reunited on one site".

Cllr Mudd thanked the school community "for the resilient way they have dealt with this unavoidable situation" and Newport Live for offering up the Connect Centre as a temporary learning site.

"A fantastic team effort has enabled the children to continue their education in a good learning environment," she told council cabinet colleagues.

Roger Jeavons, the school's chair of governors and the council's deputy leader, said he was "sure this wonderful news will be welcomed by the whole school community".

"I'm saddened that we have to lose the old building that has served local people for more than 100 years but understand that this is unavoidable," he added. "However, St Andrew's Primary School is about much more than the structures and its wonderful spirit and sense of community will live on in the new building."

And Jo Giles, the school's headteacher, said: "While we continue to hold fond memories of the history of our previous St. Andrew's junior building, we are incredibly excited to hear this news.

"It will be a privilege to work alongside Newport City Council to plan and build a new junior school fit for the realisation of Curriculum for Wales - a building our pupils and community not only deserve, but in which they can thrive and learn together as we continue to reach for the stars."