Construction work starts on new £4.4 million Devon primary school

Construction work at a new £4.4 million primary school in Okehampton, Devon has recently begun following the appointment of Morgan Sindall Construction.

The new St James’ Church of England Primary School will be located to the north of Crediton Road and is being built on behalf of Devon County Council. The school will create 420 primary and nursery places, primarily serving the new housing development being built to the east of Okehampton.

St James’ will be the second primary school in the town and the first Church of England school in Okehampton. It was announced in December 2017 that the Diocese of Exeter will sponsor the new school in partnership with Okehampton Primary School and Okehampton College.

Building work at the primary school is scheduled to complete in late 2018.

Nigel Whelan area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We’re so pleased to have been appointed to deliver the new St James’s Church of England Primary School, which will help to alleviate the growing demand for primary school places in Okehampton.
“The new school will be a fantastic addition to the town, ensuring that every child is given the best possible education and learning experience. We’re looking forward to working closely with Devon County Council and the wider community to ensure that the new school is perfectly aligned with their vision for a highly distinctive and innovative teaching environment to serve future generations.”

Devon County Council has provided the land for the new school and is forward funding the building costs.

Devon County Council’s cabinet member for schools, James McInnes, said: “A new school is urgently needed for the fast-growing town of Okehampton. The existing primary school in Okehampton is at capacity and our forecasts show increasing numbers of pupils over the next few years.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Church of England on this much-needed new facility for the town.”

NPS Project Manager, Claire Walkey, said: “NPS are delighted to be involved in this much anticipated project which will provide an exciting purpose-built environment for high quality teaching and learning, both internally and externally. A fantastic effort by all in achieving this significant construction milestone.”

• For more information about this news release please contact Steph Bocking at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email bocking@thisisinfluential.com