Work to deliver a new primary and secondary school in Lyde Green is underway after the final funding agreements and contracts have been signed to deliver the new facilities in time for the start of the 2026/27 academic year.
The 420-place, primary school will be run by the Castle School Education Trust (CSET) and the 900-place, 11-16 secondary school will be run by Olympus Academy Trust, both of which already run a number of local schools.
The total project funding is more than £58.3 million, which is made up of almost £24 million from South Gloucestershire Council, and more than £34.3 million from the Department of Education under the Free Schools Programme.
The buildings will be built to Passivhaus standards, which means they will be highly energy efficient, optimised to be net zero, making them significantly cheaper to run. Construction is now underway by BAM, who have already completed two energy efficient new school buildings in South Gloucestershire, at Frenchay and Elm Park.
In welcoming the news that work is now in progress, South Gloucestershire Council Co-leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for schools, Cllr Ian Boulton, said: ‘Since we formed the new Administration last year our focus has been to finally deliver these vital schools. I am delighted that we are now able to see construction getting underway and that funding has been secured to deliver these brand-new schools for the local community. I would like to thank our officers and partners who have been working flat out in order to get to this point with a view to meeting the challenging deadlines we have set for ourselves.’
CEO of CSET, Will Roberts, said: ‘We are delighted that the construction of the second primary school for Lyde Green is finally underway. The first Lyde Green Primary School has grown rapidly since opening in 2015, and now has more than 500 pupils. Expanding onto a second site will enable us to provide a primary place for every child in the local community and we are looking forward to providing these much needed places once the new building is completed.’
CEO of Olympus, Dave Baker, said: ‘It is with a sense of relief and excitement that we have reached the point where building can start, in order to deliver the high-quality schools that the community in Lyde Green so desperately needs and deserves now. We look forward to starting to engage with the local community in the lead-up to the completion and opening of the schools.’
The office of the South West Regional Schools Director said: ‘The DfE are pleased to have supported this project and look forward to the opening of these schools to provide the additional places needed in this area.’
The construction is a major project. Over the next two years, the two new schools will be delivered, before being handed over to the two Trusts in order for them to prepare to welcome new students to begin learning on site in September 2026. Information regarding the admission application process for new Reception and Year 7 places will be announced in due course.
The project has experienced delays in recent years, due to the pandemic and very high inflation, leading to a significant rise in the scheme’s estimated cost. However, close collaboration between South Gloucestershire Council, the Department for Education, and the scheme’s project partners is now making this exciting project a reality.
Both of the schools, and the wider community, will also benefit from the ‘core area’, which is made up of purpose-built, shared-use sports facilities. The aim is to make these available for use even before the schools are completed, once parking and changing facilities are finalised.
