Leamington school celebrates completion of eight new classrooms to accomodate increasing pupil numbers

And the children at Heathcote Primary School can also benefit from a huge landscaping project that has seen extra trees planted and an amphitheatre created.

The work, which was carried out by Ashe Construction, means the Vickers Way school has nearly doubled in size and will now be able to accommodate 420 pupils.

Executive headteacher Gill Humphriss said she was delighted to be handed the keys to the new Key Stage 2 building.

“It has already made a huge difference to our school,” she explained. “The children have moved into the new classrooms and it means they can spread out and learn in a fresh new environment.”

Heathcote Primary School opened in September 2017 with one form entry to cater for families moving into the area’s new housing developments. The plan was always to add to the original footprint but rising demand for places prompted Warwickshire County Council to bring forward building work which began at the start of the year.

The grounds have also been significantly landscaped with more than 200 extra trees planted, art sculpture mounds built and an amphitheatre created for drama and play.

Mrs Humphriss added: “Our vision for Heathcote Primary is to deliver a curriculum with outdoor learning at the heart of it and for our school to be a community hub for everyone to use over time.

“Our opening ceremony was on the small scale due to Covid restrictions but we plan to have a significant celebration when we are allowed to sometime in the new year.

“By 2025 our school will house 420 pupils but for now 241 of them are enjoying being the first pupils benefit from our new dedicated classrooms.”

On handing over the keys, Ashe Construction also presented a cheque to Reverend Rob Budd, of Heathcote Parish Church, to go towards the local foodbank.