Brand new local school shut due to 'utilities failure'

A brand new £22m 'state-of-the-art' school in Newtown is closed today due to a 'utilities failure'.

As we've seen all week, schools across North Powys have been forced to close through snow and subseqent ice and health & safety issues.

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As education slowly comes back to normal, only one school remains closed in Powys.

Ysgol Robert Owen (formerlly Ysgol Cedewain), situated in Newtown, moved into it's brand new school building in September.

The new building which cost around £22m to build is today closed due to a 'utilities failure'.

The state-of-the-art new building has replaced the very poor accommodation at the school’s previous buildings, and includes facilities for very vulnerable learners, including a hydrotherapy pool, sensory and physiotherapy rooms and garden as well as a community café.

We've reached out to Powys County Council to learn more about why the school is closed.

A spokesperson for the Councilsaid:

"The school has experienced an electrical system failure."

"The cause is currently being investigated by engineers, who are working to ensure that the school can reopen for next week."

The school which is one of three special schols in Powys caters for pupils with additional learning needs.

75% of the £22m funding for the project was provided by the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, with the remaining 25% of funding being provided by the council.