Port Talbot based construction firm Andrew Scott has won a £9m contract to build the new Betws Primary School in Bridgend.

Andrew Scott is building new facilities, with one wing for English speakers and one wing for Welsh speakers.

Total project cost is £11.2m, jointly funded by Bridgend County Borough Council and the Welsh Government’s 21st century schools programme.

“We are delighted to secure this contract as building new schools is an area we specialise in,” said Andrew Scott Managing Director Mark Bowen. “The latest development at Betws will completely replace Betws Primary School, which was partially destroyed by fire in June 2012, and the dilapidated Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cwm Garw in Pontycymer,” he said.

“Works will essentially create a ‘two schools, one site’ campus, with the two separate wings enabling the school to meet the growing demand for Welsh-medium education.”

Once finished, Betws will provide bilingual education for Cwm Garw and Cwm Ogwr pupils. The school will consist of one wing for English-medium and one wing for Welsh-medium with a shared building in between. Each wing will have its own outdoor teaching spaces and will share nearby woodland and playing fields. The enlarged school will also be able to accommodate an enlarged catchment area.

“As part of the project, the English-medium school will be constructed first and will provide space for 394 pupils. After that, the current school buildings will be demolished and construction will begin on the Welsh-medium school, which will have space 379 pupils,” Mark Bowen said.

Andrew Scott’s education portfolio includes completed works at Broad Haven CP School in Pembrokeshire, Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth in Cefneithin, Hendre Infants School in Caerphilly, St Michael’s Independent School in Llanelli, and Bassaleg Arts Block in Newport, as well as Coleg y Cymoedd’s Llwynypia further education campus and Cardiff-based St Michael’s College.