Watling Primary School and Nursery

The Western Expansion Area is the largest expansion area in Milton Keynes. Made up of two developments that will create 6,550 dwellings, the local population is estimated to reach 15,000 when completed in early 2030.

To meet this increase in population, the new school and nursery will play a key role in providing local families with school places, alleviating the pressure on other nearby schools.

Creating spaces to learn

The 630-place primary school and 39-place nursery comprises of a range of areas to provide different learning experiences - both internally and externally.

Internally, this includes a multi-purpose practical room that can be divided into two spaces, studio space, group work rooms, a learning resource centre, purpose-designed staff areas and 18 classrooms.

Externally, there are purpose-designed sports facilities, multi-use gym areas (MUGAs), a Forest School, sensory landscaping and hard and soft play areas.

Incorporating sustainable features

Sustainability is also an important part of this project. There are three electric vehicle charging points available and we have put the infrastructure in place to serve a further 20 at a later date.

The building orientation has been considered to help maximise natural light, heating and cooling, but there are also intelligent heating controls on hand that react to weather patterns and adjust the building's heating as required.

There are also roof mounted PVs to provide green energy and ground source heat pumps provide an efficient source of heating. Both of these will reduce the school's reliance on fossil fuels.

There are sustainable drainage systems in place to reduce flood risk, and homes for local wildlife are also provided in the form of bat and bird nesting boxes as well as bee bricks.

Vikki Pegg, Headteacher at Watling Primary School, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be in our amazing new building. The incredible facilities, both indoors and outdoors, are even more impressive than we could have imagined. Now we embark on the next exciting part of our journey as we start to furnish and resource the learning environment. We are looking forward to opening our doors to our first families and their children in September when we will really see the Watling Primary School vision come to life.”

Cllr Zoe Nolan, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Milton Keynes Council, said:

“After years of careful planning, it’s incredibly rewarding to see this new school ready to welcome children from the growing local community. It’s a lovely, modern building with so many clever features that will benefit both pupils and the environment. As our city continues to expand, we will continue to look ahead and ensure that we have a good local school accessible for every child.”