New primary school officially opened in Basingstoke
It will eventually host more than 400 children
A new primary school in Basingstoke has officially opened, with its state-of-the-art building already providing education for 28 reception-aged children.
The Hounsome Fields Primary School, which will eventually cater for up to 420 pupils aged between four and 11, forms part of the Climate Change Primary School Pilot Project.
Ground source heat pumps and solar panels provide all the building’s electricity and heating, maintaining a constant indoor temperature of between 22C and 23C, thanks to a specially designed passive house ventilation system.
The school, led by headteacher Bradley Carter, is located on Treetop Avenue and opened on September 2, ahead of the new school year.
Headteacher Mr Carter, who has 15 years of experience in primary education, said that the team is grateful to be working in “this amazing school,” where children have already created time capsules packed full of notes on their future ambitions.
He added: “We have already received so many compliments about the building. On the first day, families arrived at the school smiling — that is a testament to the work you have all done.”
David Harris, chief executive of the Engage Enrich Excel Academies Trust, said the school is an example of successful collaboration between all partners.
He said the opening represents a landmark day not only for the school but for the whole community.
With a modern design, spacious rooms, and large windows allowing in natural light, future pupils of Hounsome Fields Primary School will enjoy a large sports hall, two floors of classrooms, acres of playing fields, plus an orchard, pond, and more.
Downstairs features early years classrooms named after woodland animals native to Basingstoke, along with an Education, Health and Care Plan room for Social, Emotional, and Mental Health pupils, which will open in 2026.
Upstairs houses group rooms and classrooms for Years 3 to 6.
The school in on land within the 750-home Hounsome Fields development on the A30 Winchester Road opposite the golf course development where 1,000 homes are being built.