WORK is progressing on two new secondary schools for Monmouthshire.

The new buildings to replace Caldicot School and Monmouth Comprehensive School started construction in July and October respectively, with the main structures due to be completed in the 2017/18 academic year. This is the latest development in the council’s 21st Century Schools programme, which recently saw a newly-built primary school open in Raglan earlier this year.

Monmouthshire County Council cabinet member for education, Councillor Liz Hacket Pain, said: “The works are progressing at a substantial pace and I cannot wait to watch the chain of events unfold and the new buildings take shape.

“The 21st Century Schools programme is the most exciting project in the whole of Monmouthshire and it has been a long time coming.  The new schools will enhance the education of many young students in the county, changing the facilities in which they learn for entire generations of young people.

“It is widely acknowledged that the environment in which pupils learn plays a pivotal role in their achievement.  With these newly constructed schools, supported by high-quality teacher and pupil engagement, we are creating a substantial legacy for generations to come.

“These two schools, one in the north of the county, one in the south, are designed to get the very best out of our students and will help ensure we give our children the best possible start to life.”

This is the first of two stages in Monmouthshire’s 21st Century Schools strategy, with the development of two other secondary schools in Chepstow and Abergavenny pivotal to the next round of government funding programmed to commence in 2018.

As part of the first round of approved 21st Century Schools funding, a new primary school opened in Raglan and the council has also made a financial commitment to the new Welsh-medium secondary provision located at Newport’s Duffryn High School.

Welsh Government formally approved funding for the two new secondary schools at Caldicot and Monmouth in April, and has committed an equal share of the cost of construction with the council.