Construction breaks ground for new Hethersett Woodside Primary and Nursery school
Excitement is building at Hethersett Woodside Infant & Nursery, as main contractor Morgan Sindall Construction has started work to build the village’s brand new primary school on Coachmakers Way.
The £8 million development will create a new 420-place primary school and standalone nursery for 56 children. The two-storey, two form entry school, to be called Hethersett Woodside Primary and Nursery will also include a dedicated hard play area and play equipment for the students.
It is being delivered for Norfolk County Council as part of its £169 million county-wide investment programme to increase the number of school places in growing communities. The programme has already created more than 4,800 extra school places since 2013, with more to come. The school has been designed by NPS Property Consultants Ltd.
Morgan Sindall Construction hosted a ground-breaking ceremony at the site to mark the start of construction. The company has also visited Year Three pupils at Woodside Infant School who are due to move into the new school in 2020 to lead lessons on building safety as well as helping the children complete their own construction project.
John Stedman, framework manager at Morgan Sindall Construction in the East, said: “We are delighted to be starting work on this project, which will enrich the lives of local students and help to meet the growing need for more school places in Norfolk.
“We look forward to collaborating and working closely with the local community and the wider project team as we deliver the new school and nursery.
“Morgan Sindall Construction has a wealth of experience in delivering outstanding educational facilities, and the new school will provide local students with a first-class learning environment from which to begin their academic journey.”
Headteacher of Woodside Infant School, Angela Jermy said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for pupils, parents, staff and all our stakeholders and we are all looking forward to seeing this new school take shape over the next few months.
“We are all confident that by working together we can extend our current outstanding practice to Key Stage 2 and ensure that our children get the best possible start for their future development.”
Councillor John Fisher, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council said: “This is another important milestone investment in our children’s education and supporting our schools to provide the best possible start in life for our youngest residents.
“This new primary school is an essential part of the overall plan to create scores of additional school places for the growing community in Hethersett. It will also ensure that children will be able to go all through their primary education without having the disruption of moving from infant to junior schools at a critical stage in their school lives. All the evidence shows that young learners do much better when they learn in one school.”
Councillor David Bills, Norfolk County Councillor for Hethersett added: “I’m delighted to see work starting on our new primary school. I’m sure the whole community will be proud to know that, when it’s complete, our children will be learning in some of the most modern school buildings in our county, which is exactly what they deserve.”
In addition to the new Hethersett school, Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to build the new two-form entry £7 million primary school in Great Yarmouth on the current North Denes Primary School site. The project will create a modern 420-place school with sports fields and playgrounds and will be the first new school to have been built in Great Yarmouth for decades.
- For more information about this news release please contact Ruth Cobban or Sophie Anderson at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email cobban@thisisinfluential.com or anderson@thisisinfluential.com