A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction on a new primary school in Cringleford, Norwich.

The 420-place school has been commissioned by Norfolk County Council and will be run by Inspiration Trust after work has been completed by RG Carter.

The new school is being built on land off Colney Lane on the edge of Norwich. It will be the second primary school for the growing village of Cringleford.

The new school will consist of a two storey building and will feature car parking for staff and visitors, EV charging points as well as hard and soft surfaced outdoor play areas. The design was created by NPS.

The school, which is due to open in September 2024, is one 26 new schools proposed for the county within the next ten years as part of Norfolk County Council’s £308 million Local Growth and Investment Plan.

-- Advertisement --

Commenting on the plans, Cllr Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for Children's Services, said: "It's really exciting to see work starting, it demonstrates the council's commitment to making sure there are the right number of school places so children can go to school in their local communities."

Reflecting on their involvement, Mario Rackham, Director and General Manager at R G Carter, said: "We are extremely pleased to have been appointed to deliver this much-needed school for the local community and to have hosted this celebration to mark the start of its construction.

"We have extensive experience in providing high-quality educational facilities across the region and are looking forward to working in partnership with Inspiration Trust and Norfolk County Council Children's Services to deliver this exciting new project in Cringleford."

Commenting on their role in the project, Gareth Stevens, Chief Executive Officer of Inspiration Trust, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded the opportunity to open a new free school in Cringleford and it was wonderful to see the building works underway. We have a clear mission across all our schools – to provide the children of our county with the best possible education and being able to open this new free school in Cringleford will enable us to expand further on this, improving outcomes for even more children and setting them up to succeed in the next stage of their education."