A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of construction on a new secondary school in Hampshire.

Contractor Kier visited the Botley site to celebrate the milestone on the £21.2 million Deer Park School. Councillors from Hampshire County Council as well as members of Wildern Multi Academy Trust, who will be sponsors for the academy, joined for the celebrations.

Trevor White, operations director for Kier Regional Building Southern, said: "We are delighted to be breaking ground on this vitally needed new school. Deer Park is set to be ideally situated in the heart of the community and provide over 1,000 pupils with excellent learning facilities. 



"We will deliver this latest school utilising our local supply chain, enabling us to provide training opportunities for those interested in a career within the built environment. We will engage with the local community throughout the duration of this project as we are committed to leaving a legacy in areas in which we build."

The new secondary school will comprise of a main school building which will be three-storeys high and have a gross internal floor space of 6573m². A focal point to the building will be a central triple height atrium and the building will feature 46 classrooms, a learning resource centre, drama studio and food hall.

In addition, there will be a sports building with a gross internal floor area of 1092m², that will include a four-court sports hall, activity studio and changing facilities.


Kier was awarded the contract by Hampshire County Council on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) as part of the national Free Schools programme.

The new Deer Park School is expected to be complete by autumn 2021.

(CM/JG)