Design, Build and Learn in New £30m School

The new Winterstoke Hundred Academy Building (Images: Cabot Learning Foundation)

These are the first glimpses of what a new £30 million school for up to 1,200 students in Weston-super-Mare will look like.

Plans have been submitted to North Somerset Council by the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) for an expansion of the Winterstoke Hundred Academy (WHA) at a new site at Locking Parklands.

It is hoped that plans will be approved in August and site preparation works will begin in October this year.

Construction is expected to begin in January 2022 with WHA current year seven students – who will be in year 10 at that time – the first cohort to use the school when it opens in 2023/24.

The current campus on Beaufighter Road will, at that stage, predominately house Post 16 and some Key Stage 4 students (Years 10 and 11).

The new Locking Parklands site will be developed as a space predominately for Key Stage 3 and 4 provision (Years 7 – 11).

Elements of the curriculum at all three key stages will be delivered in both sites and work undertaken to put in place a safe and sustainable travel route for students between the two sites.

The new school site at Locking Parklands will be delivered in two phases, with an initial phase delivering a 900-place school building by 2023/24.

There are also plans for future expansion of the school to accommodate up to 1,200 students.

However the federation said it had no plans to increase pupil admission numbers from its current 150 in each of the years seven to 11 cohorts.

Principal of Winterstoke Hundred Academy Ian Garforth said: “The chance to design, build and learn in a new school is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and we’ve been delighted to work closely with both the design team and North Somerset Council to create a state-of-the-art building that the community can be proud of for years to come.”

“Our curriculum will specialise in environmental science and climate change and the new building, being delivered by developer Keir on behalf of North Somerset Council, will be an example of best practice in environmental design and energy efficiency.

“North Somerset Council has also committed to making the authority carbon neutral by 2030, so the design and construction of the new building will take that objective into consideration.”

Steve Taylor CEO of the Cabot Learning Federation said: “The development of an additional site for Winterstoke Hundred, the fastest growing school in the county, is truly exciting.

“Families in Weston in the future will be served by another strong school in the area, this time including excellent school-based sixth form provision.

“The impact will be felt for years to come.”

During the construction period, Keir will host a training pavilion on the site offering apprenticeships and workshops in sustainable building practices.

When the school is complete it will also be open to use by the local community.

Source: SomersetLive