An artist’s impression of the new development, which will be built to Passivhaus standards

BAM has started construction work on a new project to deliver a primary and secondary school in Lyde Green near Bristol.

The new school buildings will be built to Passivhaus sustainability standards making them highly energy efficient and net zero carbon.

BAM will construct the new 420-place primary school, alongside a new 900-place 11-16 secondary school.

Both will be completed and ready to welcome new students in September 2026.

Alongside modern new learning facilities, the new school buildings have also been designed to benefit the wider community, with a core area of purpose-built, shared-use sports facilities.

BAM was appointed to deliver the scheme by South Gloucestershire Council, via the Southern Construction Framework (SCF).

“As we begin construction here in Lyde Green, we’re looking forward to delivering two highly-sustainable new schools that will be built to Passivhaus standards,” said Tim Chell, regional director at BAM.

Construction work is starting on site

“This will make them net zero carbon, efficient to run, and enjoyable places to learn.

“And sustainability will be central to our approach and the work we will undertake here is perfectly aligned to BAM’s commitment to building a sustainable tomorrow.”

Welcoming the news that work is now in progress, South Gloucestershire Council Co-leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for schools, Councillor Ian Boulton, added: “Since we formed the new administration last year, our focus has been to finally deliver these vital schools.

“I am delighted that we are now able to see construction getting underway and that funding has been secured to deliver these brand-new schools for the local community.”

The total project funding is more than £58.3m, which is made up of almost £24m from South Gloucestershire Council, and more than £34.3m from the Department forf Education under the Free Schools Programme.

The project has experienced delays in recent years, due to the pandemic and very high inflation, leading to a significant rise in the scheme’s estimated cost.

However, close collaboration between South Gloucestershire Council, the Department for Education, and the scheme’s project partners is now making this project a reality.

Once built the primary school will be run by the Castle School Education Trust (CSET) and the secondary school will be run by Olympus Academy Trust, both of which already run a number of local schools.