Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed Sports Hall

After a competitive tender process, we were awarded the work of building a new Sports Hall facility for Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed (YGGIC), in Newport, by Newport City Council.

The sports hall was always planned to be part of the main school development but constraints at the time meant that it was not originally developed as part of the main school construction. John Perkins Construction were delighted to be appointed to completed the school build by constructing the new Sports Hall, allowing the school to move out of the temporary arrangements that they were having to work with to provide an indoor sports setting.

The vision for the project was to provide a high-quality, durable, and sustainable single-storey facility that would serve both the school and the wider community. The baseline design was developed as a traditional steel frame with masonry infill panels.

The Sports Hall was constructed on the school’s existing tarmac play area. Works began with site preparation and foundation installation, followed by erection of the steel frame. A robust roof access system was fitted, to allow the solar panels array to be serviced and maintained safety.

Internal spaces were delivered to a high specification, including modern large sports hall, changing rooms, WC facilities, and a fully equipped plant room. Mechanical and electrical systems were integrated throughout, with final finishes comprising partitioning, painting, flooring, and installation of sports equipment.

Externally, new rain gardens were introduced to manage surface water sustainably. These features not only enhance site biodiversity but also support Newport City Council’s climate resilience and environmental goals.

During the pre-construction phase careful consideration including stakeholder engagement was given to the construction logistics to minimise disruption to the operation of the school. Health and Safety and safeguarding remained paramount, ensuring that day-to-day teaching and pupil activities could continue safely alongside the build programme.

Social value lives at the heart of our company ethos and this project was a great opportunity for us to work with the school community.

We held Health and Safety (H&S) and Construction education assemblies at the beginning of the project – asking children to create Welsh language H&S posters, the winning posters would be displayed on the hoardings and book tokens for the artists. We organised for Construction students to tour the site and sign the bare steels, making the students a part of the building fabric forever. We followed this later on in the build with a tour of the site for Construction students to see progress of the hall and understand the different elements of construction that had been employed in the building of the hall. We were also delighted to sponsor the schools summer concert and make a local foodbank donation during the Christmas period.

At the close of the project, we marked the handover ceremony by presenting new sports bibs to the school as part of our commitment to leaving the communities that we work in better off than when we arrived.

Reflecting on the completed project, Eirian Jones, Head Teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed, commented:

“It’s been a pleasure to work with John Perkins Construction during the building of our new Sports Hall at Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed. The new building is fantastic and it’s made a huge difference to pupil engagement since opening in September this year. The work carried out is to a very high specification and the finish is excellent.

Colleagues at John Perkins Construction worked extremely hard to ensure a safe environment for our learners during the building work and their readiness to adjust or change arrangements was commendable. There was a very positive working relationship between the school and John Perkins and this cooperation was essential in delivering the Sports Hall which we’re very proud of. Thank you John Perkins Construction.”

The new Sports Hall provides YGGIC with a permanent, high-quality facility, fostering physical education and well-being for pupils while strengthening the school’s role at the heart of its community. The combination of modern facilities, sustainable external works, and long-term adaptability will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.