Cringleford Prep Opening Timeline

In September 2024, Cringleford Prep opened to our first cohort of Reception pupils. This was a day that had been planned since April 2023 when planning permission was granted for a new 420-place primary school for Cringleford. We have put together a timeline of events below showing the journey from planning permission to completion.

22/04/2023 - Planning permission granted

In April 2023 the project began and planning permission was granted for a primary school off Colney Lane.

"Plans for a new 420-place primary school in a rapidly growing community on the edge of Norwich have been given the go-ahead.

Norfolk County Council had applied to itself for permission for the school on land off Colney Lane in Cringleford, near the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital."

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23473840.new-primary-school-cringleford-gets-planning-permission/

10/06/2023 - Consultation goes live

Inspiration Trust were appointed as the leaders of the project for this new primary school that was to be built in Cringleford.

In June of 2023, consultation started for the name of the school to be chosen. The three names proposed for the school were: Cringleford Prep, Cringleford Academy and Cringleford Free School, and feedback was welcomed from people living and working in and around the local community of Cringleford.

14/06/2023 - Work starts on Cringleford Prep

A ground-breaking ceremony was held in June 2023 to mark the start of construction. A ground-breaking ceremony, which traditionally marks the beginning of construction for new building projects, was attended by: Norfolk County Council, which were providing funding and commissioning the new school; Inspiration Trust, which run the school; and RG Carter which built it.

The school began construction off Colney Lane, where 1,300 new homes are to be built.

Gareth Stevens, Chief Executive Officer of Inspiration Trust, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded the opportunity to open a new free school in Cringleford and it was wonderful to see the building works underway.

We have a clear mission across all our schools - to provide the children of our county with the best possible education and being able to open this new free school in Cringleford will enable us to expand further on this, improving outcomes for even more children and setting them up to succeed in the next stage of their education.”

28/06/2023 - Carmel Greene appointed as Principal of Cringleford Prep

At the end of June, Carmel Greene was appointed as the founding Principal for the new primary school in Cringleford.

Carmel started out as a Geography teacher following her study of the subject at University of Cambridge and trained to teach with Teach First. Carmel quickly moved into leadership roles, working across a variety of schools in London. Carmel then relocated to Norfolk where she took on the role of leading Inspiration Trust’s Teacher Training programme before subsequently supporting the set up of the Trust's Teaching School Hub, taking on the post of Inspiration Teaching School Hub Director.

Carmel said:

“I am delighted to have been appointed Principal of our new school in Cringleford and hugely excited by the opportunity to develop something truly exceptional. I have always been passionate about the importance of education and its role in ensuring that all children have the chance to fulfil their potential.

I am committed to developing curious, capable and confident children who value and enjoy their time at school, and who leave us with a breadth and depth of knowledge of the world and of themselves. With two young boys myself, I understand the trust that parents place in us as educators, and I view this as a huge privilege.

Having worked within the Inspiration Trust for a number of years, I know what it takes to provide the very best education and pastoral care and I am lucky to have worked with many specialists in my time that share their expertise with the Trust’s family of schools. I look forward to building relationships with local community groups and organisations and meeting with all the parents and carers within the Cringleford community. I am immensely excited to welcome our first reception cohort in 2024.”

21/07/2023 - School name consultation report is released and school is named

At the end of July the report detailing the outcome of the consultation was released:

Cringleford Consultation Report

Subsequently, following the consultation, the school was confirmed to be named Cringleford Prep. After this was finalised the logo was showcased for the first time.

Carmel Greene said:

“It has been wonderful meeting with so many parents, carers and members of the Cringleford community throughout this consultation, and for them to have their input on the name.

I am hugely excited to lead Cringleford Prep and to develop something truly exceptional that supports both pupils and parents alike.”

05/09/23 - Steel signing celebrations take place

On September 5th 2023, the next milestone of construction was held and a steel signing celebration took place on site. The steel structure of the building was now standing and work was progressing well.

The event was attended by representatives from Norfolk County Council, who funded and commissioned the school, Inspiration Trust who lead the school, designers of the project NPS Group and R G Carter who built the school.

 

Mario Rackham, Director and General Manager at R G Carter said:

“The steel signing event is the perfect way to celebrate this important stage of the project and for all those that have been involved to make their mark.

With the building’s structure now in place, it’s great to see the Norfolk County Council and Inspiration Trust’s vision starting to come to life and we look forward to handing over this high-quality facility for the local community.”

Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services from Norfolk County Council said:

“Cringleford is a growing village, and this new school will be a great addition to this thriving community, ensuring that there are the right number of school places for children to go to school in their local community. We’re delighted to partner with RG Carter and the Inspiration Trust in this project and look forward to celebrating more milestones soon.”

Gareth Stevens, Chief Executive Officer at Inspiration Trust said:

“Amazing progress continues to be made by R G Carter as we mark another milestone in this project.

We are delighted to be nearer to our goal of providing the children of Cringleford with an exceptional education and excellent cultural and sporting opportunities. Cringleford Prep will set the children of Cringleford up to succeed and prepare them for bright futures.”

Carmel Greene, Founding Principal of Cringleford Prep said:

“I am delighted to see the progress that continues to be made and look forward to being able to open up Cringleford Prep to the children and families within the local community. It is clear that all parties involved are keen to create and deliver the best facilities possible for our pupils, next September. Our vision for providing an environment where happy, curious, courteous children can flourish becomes closer with every milestone reached.”

31/01/2024 - Finishing touches at Cringleford Prep

The school was nearing completion with the building becoming watertight and all internal facilities installed. At the end of January work was beginning to start with painting and decorating, and carpet-fitting starting at the school. 

14/03/2024 - Cringleford Prep is taking shape

Carmel took a visit to Cringleford in March and had the chance to tour the building to get a feel for the site and see the incredible progress that had been made since the start of 2023. She commented, “This building provides an exceptional space for learning, and I am excited to get in and welcome our first cohort in September.”

17/04/2024 - Offers sent out to our first Reception cohort

Our first cohort received offers for the place in April ahead of the school opening in September 2024.

21/05/2024 - Handover celebration event

Celebrations were had in May as the school was handed over to Inspiration Trust by builders R G Carter. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place, with the school opened by Victoria Groom, Senior Partnership Advisor at Norfolk County Council.

Carmel Greene, Principal at Cringleford Prep said: 

“We are overjoyed that our school has been completed and is ready for our pupils this September.  

The amazing facilities that have been built at Cringleford Prep will create an environment that provides a place for our pupils to flourish and achieve their very best.” 

Gareth Stevens, CEO at Inspiration Trust said: 

“We are delighted to open a new free school in Cringleford and it has been wonderful to see the build take shape over the past year.  

Cringleford Prep will be able to provide the best possible education to the children of our county, supporting our vision that children have the right to an exceptional education. We are committed to delivering high quality teaching with the provision of a broad and balanced curriculum, enacting our mission to improve outcomes and opportunities, and setting our pupils up to succeed in the next stage of their education.” 

The new school is two storeys with car parking for staff and visitors, including electric charging spaces, and external hard and soft surfaced outdoor play areas. 

The design and layout were carefully planned to reduce net carbon in the operational energy demands of the school and respects the local area and new housing. The new building has solar panels, passive stack natural ventilation, air source heat pumps and an all-electric kitchen. Designers from NPS, worked alongside the council and R G Carter as appointed contractors. 

Mario Rackham, Director and General Manager of R G Carter Ltd commented  

‘We are delighted to have collaborated with the Inspiration Trust, Norfolk County Council and NPS to create a state-of-the-art school that will serve the growing community of Cringleford. Working with all stakeholders has been a positive and enjoyable experience that has helped us to complete the project on schedule and on budget’. 

The project was funded by Norfolk County Council and is one of 26 new schools proposed for the county within the next ten years as part of Norfolk County Council's £308 million Local Growth and Investment Plan to ensure sufficient places in areas of major planned housing growth.