THE new King Henry VIIl school has been praised by MS Laura Anne Jones and local councillors, following a recent visit.

On January 31, Laura Anne Jones visited the new King Henry VIII School in Monmouthshire, alongside Monmouthshire County Councillors Penny Jones, Louise Brown, Paul Pavia and Phil Murphy, to check the progress on the site.

Jones praised the facilities at the new carbon-neutral school in Abergavenny and was impressed by the scale of the first age three to nineteen school in the county.

Laura Anne Jones MS, Senedd Member for South Wales East and Shadow Minister for Housing, Local Government and the Armed Forces, said: “It was fantastic to visit the new school, which will be the first of its kind in our county. It was impressive to see the carbon neutral features, like the floor that is made of natural materials, that will undoubtedly pave the way for future projects.

“The facilities at the school, like the photography dark rooms, drama and music studios, science labs and full 3G sports pitches will undoubtedly serve to inspire the pupils who attend, and I’m excited for the learners to settle there after Easter.

“A massive well done to Morgan Sindall Construction for an exemplary project, in collaboration with Monmouthshire County Council, that is such a success story and will undoubtedly win awards.”

It had been intended the new £70 million King Henry VIII school building would be ready for students during the 2024 autumn term. However, the county council and main contractors, Morgan Sindall, agreed on a revised handover date of April 17, 2025.

Abergavenny Landsdown ward Labour councillor Martyn Groucutt said there had been minimal changes to design, including more cladding than bricks.

More updates about the project can be found online.