A topping out ceremony has been held at Alconbury Weald Church Academy in Cambridgeshire, marking a major milestone in the construction of the new secondary school.

The event brought together local community leaders, future pupils and representatives from Cambridgeshire County Council, the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust (DEMAT) and Morgan Sindall Construction to celebrate the completion of a key stage in the project. Attendees included Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Cllr Peter McDonald, Cllr Ross Martin, Urban&Civic chief executive Nigel Hugill and DEMAT chief executive Adrian Ball, who took part in signing the school’s steel beams during the ceremony.

Morgan Sindall’s Cambridgeshire business was appointed by Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver the new secondary school, which will be operated by DEMAT when it opens in spring 2027. The school forms part of the expanding Alconbury Weald development and is located alongside Prestley Wood Academy SEND School, which was completed by Morgan Sindall in 2024.

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Alconbury Weald Church Academy will be delivered as a four-form entry (4FE) secondary school, providing places for 600 pupils. The design includes enlarged core facilities and external areas to allow for future expansion. Facilities will include a three-storey main teaching block, a separate sports block, three full-sized grass sports pitches, a full-sized 3G pitch, two multi-use games area (MUGA) pitches and an artificial cricket wicket. A comprehensive landscape scheme will provide a range of spaces for seating, teaching, dining, socialising and informal play, with the school designed to aesthetically complement the neighbouring Prestley Wood Academy.

Sustainability has been a key focus of the project, with Morgan Sindall using its CarboniCa digital carbon calculation tool to analyse the scheme and inform both design and construction. This approach supports Cambridgeshire County Council’s net zero ambitions and has helped reduce the school’s energy demand and associated CO₂ emissions through effective passive design measures. A fabric-first approach has been adopted to improve energy efficiency, alongside the installation of low-carbon technologies such as rooftop photovoltaic panels.

The contractor has also applied its Intelligent Solutions approach to ensure construction activity does not disrupt teaching and daily operations at the adjacent Prestley Wood Academy. Close collaboration with the SEND school has enabled careful management of deliveries, logistics and site activity.

Gareth Harris, Senior Project Manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: "Schools are cornerstones of our communities, and so this topping out ceremony marks a really exciting moment in the growth of the Alconbury Weald development. We’ve collaborated closely with Cambridgeshire County Council on this project and know that once complete Alconbury Weald Church Academy will provide a high-end educational environment for local families and a valuable community hub for the area."