Penywaun Primary School is an English language school situated within a large housing estate at Penywaun, upper Cynon Valley, Aberdare. The school was originally built by G. Percy Trentham Ltd. to the designs of County Architect L. R. Gower as an infants' school on an eight acre site with views overlooking the Aberdare Valley at a cost of around £63,000. Officially opened on 22nd January 1952, Penywaun (Infants') School was the first new school to be built in the Aberdare area since 1914. The school could accommodate 200 places and comprised five classrooms, large assembly hall with stage, ante-room, chair store, head teacher's room, staff room, dining hall, kitchen and servery, drying rooms, cloakrooms, lavatories and sanitary conveniences. The building was one storey and constructed of pre-cast concrete units, with an assembly hall of traditional brickwork.

In 2017 the school had 229 pupils on roll, aged 3-11 years (Estyn). There were seven single-year classes and one mixed-year class plus a full-time nursery and two Key Stage 2 resource bases for pupils with additional needs.

Photographed during aerial reconnaissance by RCAHMW on 24th May 2010.
L. Osborne, 16th December 2011. Updated by M. Powel, RCAHMW. April 2022.

Sources: 'A report on Penywaun Primary School' Estyn, March 2017; First Annual Report of the County Architect for the Financial Year Ended 31st March 1952, pp.23-25. GD/CA/11/1 Glamorgan Archives.