Airfield Primary Academy was delighted to welcome its September 2026 Reception class for a wonderful afternoon of playtime fun during its Stay and Play sessions.
Children had the opportunity to explore their new classroom while taking part in a range of exciting activities. From riding bikes and splashing in water play to making imaginative mud cakes, there were plenty of smiles as the children began their school journey.
The event provided a fantastic opportunity for children and their families to become familiar with the school environment ahead of September. It was especially heart warming to see new friendships beginning to blossom as the children played and learned together.
Terri Knightley, Operations Manager, said: “It was wonderful to welcome our newest Reception children and their families to Airfield Primary Academy.
“Seeing the children explore their new classroom with such confidence, curiosity and excitement was a real joy.”
“Events like these help children feel happy and settled before they start school, and we are looking forward to welcoming them back in September for the start of an exciting new chapter.”
It’s been a year of steady progress in construction of the ‘exceptional’ new Airfield Primary Academy which will open in Weston-super-Mare in September.
The new primary school, which is being built on the site of the former Weston Airfield, will have 21 classrooms and a 103-place nursery.
Adjacent to the school will be a community hub with grass sports pitches, artificial turf pitch, multi-use game area, changing facilities and a community space with studios.
The school is also being built to green and sustainable standards and will be equipped with solar panels and air-source heat pumps.
It forms part of the Haywood Village development, which includes plans to build 2,500 new homes. Airfield Primary Academy will provide modern facilities and additional school places with community sports facilities right on the doorstep of the growing community.
Airfield Primary Academy is being built by Persimmon Homes and Willmott Dixon to specifications set out by North Somerset Council and Cabot Learning Federation. It is due open to the first intake of pupils at the start of the 2026/27 school year.
The deadline to submit reception-aged primary school applications for children to start school for the first time in September 2026 should be made to North Somerset Council by 23:59 on 15 January 2026.
Though construction continues to make significant progress, proposals to provide alternative temporary classroom provision on a nearby site have also been drawn up and submitted to the Local Planning Authority.
The temporary classroom would provide a space to learn for 2026/27’s first intake of pupils, in the event that the school’s main construction is delayed beyond the start of 2026/27 term.
Craig Jones, Principal Designate for Airfield Primary Academy, said:
“The Cabot Learning Federation is immensely proud to see the new Airfield Primary School taking shape – this will be a fantastic school with exceptional facilities.
“We continue to enjoy a close working relationship with North Somerset Council and Willmott Dixon in delivering this new school for the Weston-super-Mare community.
“Preparations for a September opening are progressing smoothly, and we are excited to welcome our first pupils to this excellent new school.”
Councillor Catherine Gibbons, Deputy Leader of North Somerset Council and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Families, Skills and Lifelong Learning, said:
“North Somerset is committed to providing local schools for local children, so it’s fantastic to see the new Airfield Primary Academy taking shape.
“Now the building’s frame, roof and internal floors are in place, it’s possible to get a sense of the space where pupils will eventually learn.
“Once classrooms are built in the coming year, our vision for these modern facilities will become even clearer, eventually becoming somewhere young people can aim high and realise their ambitions.
“The new Airfield Primary Academy is also a great example of how the council can work with academy trusts and developers to meet the needs of local residents.
“These modern facilities would not be possible without working in partnership, so I’d like to thank to ongoing hard work of CLF, Persimmon and Willmott Dixon.”
Claire Burton, Persimmon Homes Severn Valley’s Managing Director, said:
“Persimmon is very pleased to see progress on the Haywood Village development, particularly the delivery of this key element of community infrastructure. This will be the second school we deliver as part of our scheme for the new community, complementing the existing facilities in Haywood Village and further supporting the growing needs of local families at the development.
“We’re pleased to contribute to the evolving educational landscape in Weston-super-Mare and look forward to seeing Airfield Primary Academy become a central part of the community as we continue to build quality new homes for local families.”
Richard David, Director at Wilmott Dixon, said:
“Working in collaboration with North Somerset Council and Persimmon Homes on the construction of Airfield Primary Academy exemplifies our shared commitment to excellence.
“We are delighted to be working once again with North Somerset Council on a project which pushes the boundaries of sustainable education.”
Construction work on Weston-super-Mare’s newest primary school is now underway, with the first pupils expected onsite in September 2026.
The 630-pupil Airfield Primary Academy is being built to service the growing Haywood Village community, a 6,500-home development being delivered by Persimmon Homes on the site of the former Weston Airfield.
The school will be located adjacent to The Runway, and will also include a nursery and community sports facilities.
Once open, it will be run by the Cabot Learning Federation – a West Country schools trust which already operates a number of other successful schools in Weston, including the nearby Haywood Village Academy and Winterstoke Hundred Academy.
Planning permission was secured in September 2024, and construction has now been started by Persimmon Homes, the firm behind the Haywood Village development, to specifications set out by the CLF and North Somerset Council.
Work is scheduled to continue throughout the rest of 2025 and the first half of 2026, ready for the school to open to a new Reception year intake in September 2026.
CLF CEO Steve Taylor said: “The CLF has been deeply invested in Weston-super-Mare since 2011, and specifically in the growing and developing Haywood Village/Locking Parklands community since 2016.
We are delighted to have the opportunity to continue to serve this community through the creation of Airfield Primary Academy – a name which has been carefully chosen to reflect the community and its heritage.
“We look forward to working closely with North Somerset Council and other partners on another school building project, having enjoyed excellent working relationships and real collaborative success in the past.”
Parents interested in finding out more about the school or applying for a place for their child in September 2026 can learn more at airfieldprimaryacademy.clf.uk or email info@apa.clf.uk.
A public consultation into plans for a new primary school in Weston-super-Mare has shown strong support for the idea.
Airfield Primary Academy will be built on part of the former Weston Airfield site to service the growing 6,500-home Haywood Village and Parklands developments.
It will be run by the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) – a multi-academy trust which already runs a number of other Weston schools, including Haywood Village Academy and Winterstoke Hundred Academy, both located near to the site of the new school.
Current projections suggest the new school – which will open initially to a Reception class before growing in phases to its full capacity of 630 pupils – will open to its first pupils in September 2026.
And a recent public consultation into the plans has shown more than two-thirds of respondents (68%) are in favour of the new school being created and run by the CLF.
North Somerset Council has previously identified the need for a new school in the area, with Haywood Village Academy already oversubscribed and the number of children in the surrounding residential area projected to grow by 400 over the next seven years.
Some children in the area are already having to travel to schools further afield due to a lack of available places.
In conclusion, the CLF’s consultation document said: “The new school aims to be a place of invention and innovation where pupils are encouraged to consider what is possible, where they are empowered in their learning and have intrinsic motivation to succeed.
“It will strive to contribute to regional, national, and global challenges, as it works alongside families to educate their children to reach their potential and make a valuable contribution to society as positive citizens.
Overall, the responses to the consultation indicate that the majority of respondents support CLF opening and running Airfield Primary and on this basis CLF believes that the project should proceed and proposes to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Department for Education at the appropriate time to allow the school to open in September 2026.”
Parents interested in finding out more about the school or applying for a place for their child in September 2026 can learn more at airfieldprimaryacademy.clf.uk or email info@apa.clf.uk.
