New school welcomes first pupils

A much-needed 420-place new primary school in Cringleford has welcomed its first pupils.

NEW ERA: Cringleford Prep Principal Carmel Greene (5th left) and guests at the opening event. Photo: INSPIRATION TRUST

“We have been so excited to get the school open and welcome in the first cohort of reception class children this September and have plans for Open Events this October, with an open evening and open morning coming up soon,” said a spokesman for the Inspiration Trust, which manages the new Cringleford Prep School in Woolhouse Way.

“Our open evening will be on October 22 from 5-6pm and our open morning will be on October 23 (9:30-11am).

“Both of these will be held at Cringleford Prep and we are inviting any prospective reception class parents to visit us and take a look around our school.

“The school is growing every year with new reception intakes so we can’t offer an in-school year transfer to other year groups just yet ie. a child that is Year 1 or above, as we have only got a reception class at the moment.”

The new school was funded and commissioned by Norfolk County Council and will be led by Inspiration Trust. Designers of the project were NPS Group with RG Carter building the school.

Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council said: “Cringleford is a vibrant and growing village, and the addition of Cringleford Prep ensures that our youngest residents have access to the highest quality education right in their local community.

“We have worked closely with RG Carter, Inspiration Trust, and other partners to bring this vision to life, and I am thrilled to see it come to completion.

“The school will be a community hub where children will learn, grow, and prepare for bright futures.

“I look forward to seeing the students of Cringleford Prep thrive and excel, and I am confident that this school will be a cornerstone in their journey of learning.”

The new school, a second primary school for the growing village of Cringleford, is two storeys with car parking for staff and visitors, including electric charging spaces, and external hard and soft surfaced outdoor play areas. Carmel Greene, Principal at Cringleford Prep, said at a summer opening event to celebrate completion of the project: “The amazing facilities that have been built at Cringleford Prep will create an environment that provides a place for our pupils to flourish and achieve their very best.”

Gareth Stevens, CEO at Inspiration Trust, said: “We are delighted to open a new free school in Cringleford, and it has been wonderful to see the build take shape over the past year.

“Cringleford Prep will be able to provide the best possible education to the children of our county, enacting our mission to improve outcomes and opportunities, setting our pupils up to succeed in the next stage of their education.

“Its design and lay-out have been carefully done to reduce net carbon in the operational energy demands of the school and respects the local area and new housing.

The new building also has solar panels, passive stack natural ventilation, air source heat pumps and an all-electric kitchen.”