PLANS to carry out a £3million upgrade at a Bangor school have moved forward. 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council's cabinet approved a recommendation to allocate funds from the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme to revamp Ysgol Hirael.

Cyngor Gwynedd will now form a business case asking Welsh Government to release 65 per cent of the project cost, which is £1,950,000. Cyngor Gwynedd will match fund and contribute £1,050,000.

Ysgol Hirael provides education to about 200 children between the ages of three and 11.

The school building has deteriorated, and the condition is not as good as other schools in the area.

Councillor Beca Brown, Cyngor Gwynedd's Education Cabinet Member, said: "I am extremely proud that we have been able to move closer to improving the Ysgol Hirael building after some delay in the Council's ability to invest in school buildings following the pandemic.

"This investment will not only make the school a much nicer place for the whole school family – including the pupils, all staff and the wider community – but it will also cut our expenditure on the building maintenance for the future. It is also something to be proud of that the school will be more eco-friendly as a result of the investment, as it will use less energy and produce less carbon.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing the children of the Bangor area benefit from the investment in the school building and have a learning environment which will enable them to continue to flourish educationally and socially."

Councillor Nigel Pickavance said: "I welcome this good news as the old building is dated and deteriorating.

"My three daughters have been pupils at Ysgol Hirael and I can testify that the new investment will improve the quality of school life for the pupils, offering them new opportunities and better experiences during school hours and beyond."

Councillor Dylan Fernley said: “Generations of local children have been educated at Ysgol Hirael and it is a much-loved community asset. I’m looking forward to seeing the school when the work has been done and the positive effect it will have on the city’s children.”

Cyngor Gwynedd's Education Department will form a business case for the Welsh Government to release the money.

If successful, it is hoped the work will begin in the new academic year.