The name of a new £16 million primary school in Histon and Impington, which is set to open its doors to children initially in January 2021, has been announced by its academy trust sponsor Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET).

Histon and Impington Infant School will relocate from its current site in New School Road to the Buxhall Farm site off Glebe Way. From September 2021, it is planned that it will convert to a primary school and serve children aged 4-11, rather than the current range of 4-7 under the new name of Histon and Impington Park Primary.

Meanwhile, Histon and Impington Junior School, which has already expanded on its current site in readiness to extend its intake to ages 4-11, when it too becomes a full primary school, is to be called Histon and Impington Brook Primary.

The planning application for the new school at Buxhall Farm was approved by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Planning Committee in July 2019. A six-week consultation was held on plans for expanding education in Histon and Impington in October and November 2019 and work began on site shortly afterwards. Despite Covid-19 restrictions impacting delivery, building by R G Carter has continued in line with Government and Public Health England guidelines and will be completed on 1st December 2020.

With the new school building available, 310 Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils at Histon and Impington Infant School will move over to the Buxhall Farm site in January. Children and staff will immediately benefit from two reception classrooms, four Key Stage 1 classrooms, eight Key Stage 2 classrooms, two halls, staff administrative areas and a kitchen. An adjoining space will be used for Breakfast and After-School Clubs with the potential for wraparound care facilities for 52 children. Outside there will be allotment areas, playgrounds and sports pitches. The site currently occupied by Histon and Impington Infant School will be returned to Cambridgeshire County Council for community use.

Lesley Birch, CEO/Executive Principal of CPET, said: “We are thrilled to be able to announce the names of the two schools, which give Histon and Impington the enlarged primary provision it so desperately needs given the growth of our community. We felt it was important that the names of both Histon and Impington parishes were reflected in the names of both schools and our vision is for them both to be excellent primary schools that grow and entwine. We want them to offer common approaches, high standards and opportunities embedded in their curricular offer. Staff will be shared across the schools, with key stages and year groups deemed as one. As a Trust we are committed to providing an outstanding education for all our pupils by offering a broad and balanced curriculum whilst working closely with the local community. Our children are at the heart of everything we do, and having two all-through primary schools in Histon and Impington can only facilitate the delivery of that ethos. For our staff, as well, we are really excited about the development opportunities this brings.”

Jonathan Newman, Head of Histon and Impington Infant School (and Head of Histon and Impington Park Primary from September 2021), explained: “We are incredibly excited to be able to plan for the move to our new school, beginning in January 2021 when our current Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children will have the opportunity to access a state-of-the-art building with new, spacious facilities. Whilst this is ahead of our original timescale we feel that an earlier move to the new build will bring major benefits to our Foundation Stage pupils. CPET has a strong level of collaboration running right through its core and we will all be working hard as a collective to deliver the best possible education for children at both Histon and Impington Park Primary and Histon and Impington Brook Primary. We are aiming to have two excellent primary schools as these are required in our community.”

Helen Lorimer, Head of Histon and Impington Junior School (and Head of Histon and Impington Brook Primary from September 2021), added: “We are really looking forward to the next phase in the school’s history as an all-through primary school. It is wonderful that parents and children in the community can now benefit from two primary schools and access the quality of provision we have become known for. Our expectations are high at both schools.”

Jonathan Lewis, Service Director for Education at Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City Councils, said: “We have been very aware of the increasing demand for more high-quality primary school provision within the local Histon and Impington community, and with these latest developments we have addressed this head on. I want to thank all those involved for their unfaltering dedication and determination to the project, which has seen the new school building completed almost within the originally proposed timeframe, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19. I look forward to continuing our close working relationship with CPET, and I know with their support and that of the Local Authority, Histon and Impington Park Primary and Histon and Impington Brook Primary will be well placed to support their local community, and to have a real positive impact on education outcomes in Cambridgeshire.”

Applications for children starting in Reception in September 2021 are now open at Histon and Impington Park Primary and Histon and Impington Brook Primary. Each has space for 60 reception children, with parents able to express a preference for which school they would like their child to attend upon application. The deadline for applications is 15th January 2021