A WESTON academy has celebrated the start of a new year by opening the doors of North Somerset's first net zero school.

Winterstoke Hundred Academy, part of the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), has been working hard over the past two years to construct a £30.5m carbon-neutral school at Locking Parklands to act as its second campus.

Work on the 900-pupil school was carried out by contractor Kier, to specifications set out by North Somerset Council and the CLF.

The three-storey building comes complete with solar panels and has achieved a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for energy efficiency and 10 per cent biodiversity net gain.

Students are due to move into their new classrooms this week.

Heidi Clement, head of Projects and Estates at CLF, said: “The expansion of Winterstoke Hundred Academy is a major development and a huge financial investment that further enables our trust to meet the educational needs of young people and provide them with a fantastic environment to learn in."

Tony Searle, Executive Principal with the CLF, added: “With pupils now moving into the new buildings, we are excited about the educational opportunities that we will be able to afford our current cohort, and those who join the academy for decades to come."

Councillor Catherine Gibbons, deputy leader of North Somerset Council and Executive Member for Children’s Services, Families and Life Long Learning, said: “Funded through Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, the Winterstoke Hundred Academy expansion provides new school places and facilities, meeting the needs of growing local communities. We look forward to celebrating the completed school building alongside pupils at a grand opening event later in the term.”

The academy has also welcomed a brand new principal, Matthew Randle.

Matthew has a wide range of experience teaching in secondary schools across Bristol, Somerset and Leicestershire.

His most recent position was vice principal with CLF Post 16 in Bristol.

Executive principal Tony Searle said: “Matthew Randle has been appointed following a rigorous national recruitment process. He was the standout candidate from a strong field of internal and external applicants."

Matthew Randle, new Principal at Winterstoke Hundred Academy, added: "I’ve been really looking forward to welcoming our students into the new building and starting to work with the local community.

“It’s an incredible building and we feel very lucky to be moving in to our second site. This is a significant investment in education in North Somerset which will enable us to build on our curriculum and really excel in many specialist areas as we work towards a full capacity in September."