New £8.8m primary school specialising in outdoor learning to open in Milton Keynes this year

A new £8.8m primary school will open its doors for the first intake of pupils this year on the Whitehouse estate.

The school will offer 630 primary places and 39 nursery places and serve the Western Expansion Area of Milton Keynes.

It will specialise in Forest School and outside learning principles across all age groups and will seek to ‘Nurture a Passion for Learning’ in all.

Forest School traditionally takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment and aims to promote the holistic development of children, with the aim of fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.

It supports play, exploration and supported risk taking, as well as developing confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

The new Watling Primary School will be run by the Denbigh Alliance Multi-Academy Trust, which also runs Denbigh School and Watling Academy, and it will have a STEM focused curriculum.

Building contractors Willmott Dixon will complete by September this year, when the school will open with limited places in Early Years, Year 1 and Year 2.

Next month Willmott Dixon is offering other schools, universities and other educational institutions the chance to see an exclusive glimpse of the live construction site.

They are holding a special open week between March 13 and March 18 as part of Open Doors week, an annual event that aims to showcase the exciting world of construction and the opportunities within it for people to enjoy a rewarding career.

Willmott Dixon’s director Michelle Cotterill said: “We want to bring construction to a whole new generation of people to show what a fantastic career you can have making a real different to so many people’s lives."

She added: “Watling Primary School and Nursery is a great example of a modern school built with achievable sustainability elements. It will also be modern in its approach to education, as it is one that will offer learning opportunities for local children that focus on outdoor learning, play and a STEM rich curriculum.”

“We’re very proud to be offering our hard hats to more people this year to talk to those interested in a career in construction as well as those who are curious about the developments reshaping their area.”

Visitors will be able to see the project nearing completion, with work being carried out on kitchen installation, partitioning, plastering, painting, and block paving.

The school will feature a variety of sustainable construction methods including roof mounted PVs to facilitate solar power as well as ground source heat pumps to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

MK Council is leading the construction and says the building will be extremely eco-friendly, with “intelligent” heating and lighting controls that react to the weather to conserve energy.

To book your place during open week or to find out more information about the Watling School’s involvement in Open Doors, visit here.

Spaces are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.