The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford joined in the celebrations at Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street School, Ruthin as they celebrated a special milestone in their history.

Both schools, which opened in April 2018 were officially opened by the First Minister at a ceremony on Thursday, July 4.

A total of 428 pupils moved into the brand new schools, located on the Glasdir site on the outskirts of Ruthin on April 10, 2018.

The £11.3 million project was funded by Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools programme.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “We’re delighted that the Minister was able to come and share in this important day with the school communities of Pen Barras and Rhos Street. It’s a momentous occasion.

“Denbighshire, working with Welsh Government, made a commitment to invest in schools and the condition of school buildings and that has certainly paid dividends. The creation of brand new, fit for purpose buildings for both schools has been a major success and the modern, state of the art facilities built on the Glasdir site replaced the tired and old buildings on the former site on Mold Road. Our children and young people deserve the best possible start and we were delighted to realise the dream of building brand new schools for Pen Barras and Rhos Street.

“The building of the new schools marked a significant investment in education in the Ruthin area and will benefit pupils for generations to come.

"We have also seen an overall investment of £90 million in schools in the county, including brand new school buildings at Rhyl High/ Tir Morfa, Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Ysgol Carreg Emlyn and and two others being built in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Christ the Word school in Rhyl.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “It’s been a pleasure to visit Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street today and see the results of investment in education. Schools and colleges in North Wales have benefited from more than £280m during the first phase of the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Education programme. And there is more investment to come through the second phase.

"This has been the largest investment in school buildings since the 1960s and has been delivered in partnership with local authorities and communities. It is something everyone can be proud of. I wish the staff and pupils here in Ruthin the very best in their new state-of-the-art facilities.”

The contractor responsible for building the new school for Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street was Wynne Construction.