It’s official: the new school set to open on Irthlingborough Road this autumn has been named Stanton Cross Primary School.

Situated in the Stanton Cross development to the east of Wellingborough, the new primary school was named in collaboration with North Northamptonshire Council and the Northampton Primary Academy Trust, who will operate the school.

Up to 420 pupils aged four to 11 will grace the school’s hallways starting with Reception Year in September 2022, enjoying state-of-the-art classrooms, a main hall and kitchen, a playground, soft play area and a dedicated nursery and children’s centre for younger pupils and families.

The McAvoy Group, a specialist in offsite construction, is working on behalf of North Northamptonshire Council to deliver the two-storey building. Having started construction in October 2021 using modern methods of construction, McAvoy will complete the new school building much more quickly than would be possible via traditional construction methods. With much of the building completed offsite in a controlled factory environment, delays to construction have been minimised.

Lee Barrett, Divisional Operations Director for Vistry Group and a representative of Stanton Cross Developments LLP, promoters of the Stanton Cross project, said: “We’re thrilled to reveal the name for our new school at Stanton Cross. Construction of the school is now well underway and it’s wonderful to share the new name with our surrounding community and the school’s future pupils. We’re extremely excited to welcome the first pupils to the school in September.”

Tomas McNicholl, Contracts Manager with McAvoy, said: “This is a project with sustainability at its heart. The choice of offsite precision manufacturing, as opposed to traditional construction, is reflective of this ethos as our approach delivers a high-quality end product with strong environmental credentials throughout the process from manufacturing through to building performance.When completed this new school will be an asset of which all of the project stakeholders can be proud – and rightly so.”

Cllr Scott Edwards, Executive Member for Children, Families, Education and Skills at North Northamptonshire Council, commented: “I’m delighted that we will be seeing a new school opening in Wellingborough, particularly one which has an innovative design. It’s essential that with our growing area that we help provide the right infrastructure to cater for everyone’s needs and this includes providing enough school places. I look forward to the first pupils arriving in September!”

Julia Kedwards, Chief Executive Officer at Northampton Primary Academy Trust, added:“We are delighted to be the chosen sponsor for Stanton Cross Primary School and to be able to open our doors to the first cohort of Reception children in September this year. The school will be part of the Northampton Primary Academy Trust, a vibrant and growing trust of twelve established primary schools in Northampton and Milton Keynes who share our vision to ‘achieve educational excellence, create opportunities and enrich lives’ for all our children and staff.

“We are committed to providing the same high-quality educational provision already enjoyed by more than 4000 current NPAT children to those attending the new nursery and primary school at Stanton Cross, providing a stimulating and purposeful learning environment which is both supported and complemented by a rich programme of enhanced curriculum sports and arts activities.We very much look forward to welcoming the children and families of Stanton Cross to our school and being a central part of this growing new community.”

The new primary school has been designed to provide a stimulating educational space and complement the wider environment created by Stanton Cross Developments LLP.It will give priority to pedestrians and cyclists, ensuring the school has a safe and secure layout to encourage more environmentally-friendly methods of travel for pupils and staff alike.

To support a commitment to sustainable development at Stanton Cross, new native tree species and hedgerows will be planted on the southern and western boundary of the school and within the proposed car parking.This will help to enhance the site’s ecology and aesthetics, while naturally blending into the surrounding landscape.

Stanton Cross is a £1 billion residential-led development to the east of Wellingborough which will eventually include 3,650 new homes, alongside new leisure and retail amenities and commercial space – including offices, industrial space and a trade park.