Western Daily Press (Saturday)
£30m ‘first net zero school’ opens its doors
ANEW £30 million secondary school has opened – and claims to be the area’s first ‘net zero school’, and one of the greenest in the country.
Winterstoke Hundred Academy first opened in Beaufighter Road back in 2020, but over the past two years work has been taking place to build a second campus at Locking Parklands, and new housing development on the edge of Westonsuper-Mare, between Locking and the M5.
That second campus is now finished, the doors are open and the first of what will ultimately be 900 pupils have gone in for their first lessons.
The school is a partnership between North Somerset Council and the Bristol-based Cabot Learning Federation, which runs Weston’s Winterstoke Hundred Academy. And the 80,000sq m building is claimed to be the most environmentallyfriendly school around.
“The three-storey building has been carefully designed to meet rigorous environmental standards – making it the first fully carbon neutral school in the area,” a spokesperson for the CLF said.
“Solar panels covering the roof will generate electricity inside classrooms and send power to the national grid, providing green energy for the school, as well as the wider community. The 80,000sqm building also boasts a much sought-after BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for energy efficiency and 10 per cent biodiversity net gain, which will protect and promote plants and wildlife,” she added.
Heidi Clement is the head of projects and estates for the Cabot Learning Federation. She said it has taken four years to start and finish the school, adding: “The buildings and finish look amazing and will leave a lasting legacy for all those involved.”
The school has been funded by Homes England, the Government’s housing and land agency, and the driving force behind much of the massive housing development currently ongoing between Weston and the M5. Homes England has a Housing Infrastructure Fund, which paid for the school to be built.
Cllr Catherine Gibbons, the deputy leader of North Somerset Council, is also the executive for children’s services. She said the new school “raised the bar” for everyone else.
“Winterstoke Hundred Academy’s new building is designed to achieve some of the highest standards of sustainability, raising the bar for what
We’re really looking forward to growing our links with the community over the next few years PRINCIPAL MATTHEW RANDLE
can be delivered in our region,” she said.
“The quality of construction is clear just from looking at the school and we’re immensely proud of what we have been able to accomplish alongside our partners at CLF and Kier.
“Funded through Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, the Winterstoke Hundred Academy expansion provides new school places and facilities, meeting the needs of growing local communities. We look forward to celebrating the completed school building alongside pupils at a grand opening event later in the term,” she added.
The new school needed a new principal and the federation has named Matthew Randle as the school’s first – he has taught before in Somerset and Bristol and most recently was the vice-principal with Post 16, the big sixth form in Bristol. He said he was “very excited” to be starting the new job.
“We’re really looking forward to growing our links with the community over the next few years, and if people would like see what we do at Winterstoke they will be very welcome to visit and see the school in action,” he added.