The location of Norton Hill’s new Primary School has been unveiled this week, as part of a planning application for a new housing development on Mendip soil, near the White Post, Midsomer Norton.

After the application to set up the school was approved in September of last year, the Government set out to support the school in the hunt for the best available site.

Norton Hill says it has taken six painstaking months looking at all available locations for the new primary school, deciding that the best option will be to build a brand new school on a site close to the White Post, and within walking distance of Norton Hill secondary school. Funding to build a completely new school was approved in January and developer, Waddeton Park Ltd., is now preparing an outline planning application that includes five acres of land set aside for the new build.

The team planning the new school say they are delighted with the news. New Chair of Governors, Sharon Wiseman, said: “This is such a positive step for our new school. We are planning an exciting curriculum that will allow the children to get the best of both worlds by using resources and teachers at the secondary school too – and this plan will mean children and teachers can move quickly and safely between the two schools. They can learn literacy and numeracy in a fantastic new building, and easily take advantage of specialist facilities, such as cookery rooms, Science labs and PE facilities.”

Mark Thompson, Project Manager for the new school, said: “We have been waiting and waiting. We are so pleased with this decision, which will basically provide several million pounds of investment in a brand new, state-of-the art school for local children.

“We knew there were problems finding a nearby site in B&NES. Now this land has been made available by Waddeton Park, who are looking to provide further housing alongside the school, to meet an already identified requirement in Mendip.

“Our dream would be for the school to get planning consent and be built quickly, so that the new primary school can be ready for the children as soon as possible. Although the site is actually just over the local authority boundary in Mendip, parents will be able to apply for a place at the school through B&NES in the usual way, based on distance from the school. Having asked us to help set up a new school, B&NES has been really supportive in helping make sure local families will find it easy to apply.”

While the new building would be scheduled for completion in 2018, the Norton Hill Primary School will open with sixty places for Reception pupils in September 2017 and the Government will provide a purpose-built temporary building nearby until the new classrooms are ready.

Once built, the new school will have the space to grow to three form entry in future, as numbers in the area increase. It was proposed by the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership (MNSP) to make sure that with 2,500 homes being built in the area, there are enough places for every child, as well as a choice of high quality schools for parents in the area. Any parent wanting more details can log on to: www.nortonhillprimary.com and sign up for more information.

Whilst there is a need to provide more school places in the area, Mendip is also needing to fulfil its housing quota, although residents in B&NES will no doubt be worried about the knock-on effect of local services that are already stretched, with a large housing development due next door at Charlton Park. This new development, to include the school, will see up to 188 new homes. Five potential sites were looked at for the new primary school, in areas such as Old Mills, Westfield Industrial Estate, the Welton, Bibby and Baron area and in the vicinity of Midsomer Norton Rugby Club.

Next Wednesday, 23rd March, there will be a public exhibition where representatives from the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, the Education Funding Agency, Waddeton Park and other advisers will be on hand to explain proposals and answer questions. It takes place at the Centurion Hotel, Midsomer Norton, from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.

More information is available at: www.landatwhitepost.co.uk where a feedback form can also be completed.