Over the Rainbow at Llanishen Fach Primary School

Llanishen Fach Primary School's new specialist resource base (SRB) has officially opened in Rhiwbina. The purpose-built facility will respond to the increasing demand in Cardiff for specialist provision, by providing places for children with severe and complex learning needs.

Image: Cardiff Council

The £4.4m development has been funded by the Welsh Government, with support from Cardiff Council’s capital programme and delivered by construction company Knox & Wells.

Dosbarth Enfys (Rainbow Class), offers a nurturing, fully integrated environment featuring bespoke classrooms, with custom-designed furniture and layouts to support independence and accessibility and sensory rooms offering safe and calming spaces for regulation and wellbeing. In addition occupational therapy spaces offer swings and physical-sensory apparatus, enabling targeted interventions to develop motor skills, confidence, and resilience.

Integrated indoor-outdoor areas encourage movement, exploration, and connection with the wider school environment alongside accessible facilities, all designed to remove barriers and unlock potential for pupils with additional learning needs.

Image: Cardiff Council

A unique feature includes a 3.6m imitation oak tree in the centre of the SRB, representing how, "with the right nurture and support, every child can grow, thrive, and flourish and just as each branch reaches out in its own direction, every pupil develops at their own pace, rooted in care and belonging".

Headteacher Sarah Coombes said: “At Llanishen Fach Primary School, inclusion is not just a policy, it is the heart of everything we do. Pupils with additional learning needs are fully integrated into the life of the school, taking part in outdoor learning, expressive arts, sports, clubs, and trips alongside their peers.

“Dosbarth Enfys embodies this ethos and is a place where diversity is not simply accepted but celebrated. It is more than a classroom - it’s a launchpad for confidence, achievement, and lifelong learning. It removes barriers, nurtures talents, and builds self-esteem. This is more than a building, it is about opportunity, inclusion, and developing every child’s love of learning.”

Sarah Merry, Cardiff Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for education, said: "By investing in purpose-built, inclusive spaces like Dosbarth Enfys, we are ensuring children with additional learning needs have the support and opportunities they deserve. By transforming provision, we are able to support the wider need for acceptance and celebrate neurodiversity, opening doors to new possibilities for families across the city.”

Over the last five years an additional 155 places have been delivered in existing Cardiff SRB provision, 14 new SRB’s have been established providing up to 256 additional places and there are an additional 332 places in existing special schools.

The opening event also provided an opportunity to acknowledge Sarah Coombes for her leadership and dedication at Llanishen Fach Primary School. As she leaves the school after 16 years, she said: “Leaving Llanishen Fach is not easy. This school has been my professional home, and its spirit of inclusion, creativity, and care will stay with me always. I am deeply grateful for the relationships, the memories, and the shared commitment to making every child feel valued and inspired.”