The Hampton Academies Trust has been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) as the trust which will operate a new primary school in the new Peterborough township, Great Haddon.
Bids from all interested trusts were moderated and a decision was made by Peterborough City Council before the submission to the DfE for final approval last month.
The 420-place primary school will serve new families moving to Great Haddon. Construction is due to begin in late summer subject to planning permission being granted by Peterborough City Council’s planning committee in July.
The build is expected to be complete by September 2026. Once established, it will provide places for 60 children in each year group.
It will be the first school that the city council will deliver via the free school presumption route. This means it will be a state-funded academy school independent of local authority control and will receive its funding directly from Government.
The council will lead and fund the building of the school and work with Hampton Academies Trust to ensure its successful opening.
Councillor Katy Cole, cabinet member for children’s services at Peterborough City Council, said: “Peterborough is one of the country’s fastest growing cities and we are committed to ensuring we have the right infrastructure in place to meet the demands of a growing population which will need additional school places.
“We are delighted to announce that Hampton Academies Trust has been selected to operate Great Haddon Primary School and have good faith in them to run this as a good quality school that will be essential for the township as it grows.”
Once finished, the township of Great Haddon is expected to provide 5,350 homes, 9,000 jobs, four schools (three primary and one secondary), three shopping centres and sports facilities.
The trust is delighted to be working in partnership with Peterborough City Council to provide new school places in this rapidly growing part of the city. This will be the third free school project the trust has delivered with the council in recent years, following the successful opening and growth of Hampton Gardens School and Hampton Lakes Primary School.
Dr Helen Price, Executive Headteacher of the Hampton Academies Trust, said: "We are really looking forward to delivering a fantastic school for the new community of Great Haddon. In the months before the school opens we will be holding information events for parents/carers and keeping the whole community updated about the progress of the building via our social media feeds.
"From our many years of operating on the Hampton development, we understand how schools can put the heart and soul into new communities. Our vision is to combine a strong emphasis on learning and progress with an inclusive ethos, which fosters respect, well-being and the rounded development of the whole child."