Construction work is set to begin on a new primary school and nursery as part of a major new housing development in Peterborough.

The Great Haddon urban extension was approved by Peterborough City Council in 2015 and, when finished, will comprise 5,350 homes, three shopping centres, three primary schools, one secondary school, and other facilities.

And a reserved matters application for the first primary school and nursery on the Great Haddon development was approved on July 24, meaning construction can begin in late summer as planned.

The two-form entry nursery and primary school will serve the Great Haddon area, with the school taking 420 pupils – 60 in each year group – and the nursery taking up to 50 children.

The split-level building will include a number of classrooms, offices, a kitchen, a main hall, and welfare facilities.

The school will also have a multi-use games area and a large playing field with an athletics track.

The school will be run by the Hampton Academies Trust and is being built by Morgan Sindall Construction.

It will be the first school that the city council will deliver via the free school presumption route.

This means it will be a state-funded academy school independent of local authority control and will receive its funding directly from the Government.

The building is expected to be completed by September 2026.