Work starts on new £8.8m primary school and nursery for Milton Keynes which will cater for 669 pupils

Located at Calverton Lane, the 630-place primary school and 39-place nursery is being built on behalf of Milton Keynes Council to provide local education provision for the housing developments of Fairfields and Whitehouse.

Willmott Dixon is working alongside project architect Synergy Architects to create the modern facility which will comprise of classrooms, a multi-purpose hall and outdoor sporting grounds.

Michelle Cotterill, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We’re delighted to be on site at Watling Primary School and Nursery, building on our longstanding relationship with Milton Keynes Council. Our recent projects with the council include St Mary's Wavendon Church of England Primary School and Whitehouse Medical Centre.”

The Western Expansion Area is the largest expansion area in Milton Keynes and comprises of two developments to create 6,550 dwellings. The area will have an estimated population of 15,000 when completed in early 2030 and the new school and nursery will play a key role in ensuring local amenities are available for the growing population.

Cllr Zoe Nolan, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at Milton Keynes Council, said: "It’s incredible to see how quickly the teams are working onsite to create the foundations for this wonderful new school. Watling Primary will be essential for families moving to the area who want local, quality schools.

“We know that proper planning and reducing the environmental impact will enable these schools to be here for many years to come."

Ian Joyce, interim CEO at The Denbigh Alliance, said: “We are thrilled to be part of this special building project and excited to be welcoming a new primary school into our Trust family. The school will offer exceptional learning opportunities for local children, with an emphasis on outdoor learning and play, and a STEM rich curriculum.”

Watling Primary School and Nursery will have three active electric vehicle charging points, with infrastructure to serve a further 20, as well as featuring roof mounted PVs to facilitate solar power and utilising ground source heat pumps as opposed to gas boilers. These measures will help the project to meet the council’s sustainability targets and the Department for Education’s energy benchmark.