Two new schools 'on track' for 2026 after delays
BBCTwo new schools sharing a £58m site are said to be on track to open in September 2026 following a four-year delay.
The site in Lyde Green, South Gloucestershire, was due to open in 2022 but is still under construction, having been hampered by the pandemic and inflation rates.
The new primary and secondary school will offer more than 1,300 places in total.
"At the moment young people are having to walk or bus or cycle out to schools including Winterbourne, which is four miles away," said Dave Baker, CEO of The Olympus Academy Trust, which will run one of the schools.
"That's not great as the community wants a school at its heart," Mr Baker added.
He said he was "confident" the schools would open in September next year.
The demand for schooling has grown following the construction of housing developments in the area.
The Olympus Academy Trust will run Lyde Green Community School, offering 900 places for 11 to 16-year-olds.
The building will be shared with a satellite school for Lyde Green Primary, run by the Castle School Education Trust, providing 420 places.
Sports facilities such as tennis and netball courts, playing fields and a cricket pavilion will be shared with the community.
Work is said to have progressed quickly since it started in March 2024 as the walls and fittings have been prefabricated, using sustainable timber from Austria.
The schools are being built to Passivhaus standards, a quality assured rating for energy efficiency.
"There will be reduced levels of energy used for heating and cooling," said Richard White, project manager at BAM Construction, which is delivering the site.
"The benefit of this to the school will be reduced bills for a long time to come."
South Gloucestershire Council has provided almost £24m in funding for the project, while another £38m has come from the Department of Education under its free schools programme.
Tom Hill, headteacher designate for Lyde Green Community School, said: "This school is being built for 21st Century education and that's got to give children a springboard in terms of accelerating their success in their educational journey."
Online applications for places will open at the beginning of September 2025 with the deadline being 31 October.
The first group of 180 Year 7 pupils are due to start in the academic year of 2026/27.
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