More than 200 new school places have been created for local children at St Keyna Primary School in Keynsham following a £5.3m expansion by Bath & North East Somerset Council that has doubled the size of the school.
The new, sustainable building has been designed and constructed to meet Passivhaus standards and has this term been opened to children. This has taken the school to two-form entry to accommodate 420 children, making places for children from new housing developments and population growth.
The energy efficient standards that the building has been designed to meet will reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption costs for the school in the long term.
The new teaching spaces provide more consistent internal temperatures and better acoustics, helping children concentrate on their learning in a comfortable environment.
As well as doubling the size of the school, the £5.3m investment by the council also includes external landscaping with a dipping pond, new outdoor play equipment, a new football pitch and a second pedestrian entrance opened at Kelston Road.
The project was funded by Basic Need Grant, S106 Contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy contributions.
Councillor Paul May, cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “It’s wonderful to see children enjoying their new learning spaces at St Keyna Primary. The opening of the expanded building is a positive moment for families in Keynsham, enabling more children to learn close to home in a building designed around their needs. By investing in a highly energy-efficient school, we’re showing our commitment not only to better long-term outcomes for children, but also to taking meaningful action on the climate emergency by reducing carbon emissions.”
St Keyna Primary School will be holding an official opening ceremony later this spring.
Sue MacGrain, Chair of Governors, said: “We’re delighted with our new building. It’s a lovely environment for the children to learn in, as it has been finished beautifully with a lot of thought given to aesthetic qualities. Because it has been built to Passivhaus standards we’re looking forward to low energy bills which will allow us to spend more of our income directly on the children. We’re also very excited about the developments to the grounds, which will provide even more opportunities for the children to play, relax and learn in the outdoor environment.”
Designed by Quattro Design Architects of Gloucester, the nine-month build was completed by Bath-based construction company H Mealing & Sons. Also part of the design team were Method Consulting, Curtins and Zero Energy.
