Plans for Great Haddon secondary school approved

Plans for a secondary school in one of the region's newest housing developments have been approved by the city council.

Construction of Great Haddon Secondary School near Yaxley, Peterborough, is expected to start in the summer of 2027.

The Great Haddon development, which was first approved by Peterborough City Council in 2015, will also comprise 5,350 homes, a shopping centre and three primary schools.

Councillor Katy Cole, cabinet member for children's services, said: "The council has a statutory duty to ensure that there are enough school places in Peterborough to meet demand."

It is the only secondary school planned for the Great Haddon development.

Councillor Mohammed Farooq, deputy leader and cabinet member for growth and regeneration, asked whether the new school would have a impact on the number of pupils attending nearby Hampton College - and Hampton Gardens schools.

"The south of the city is certainly an area where there is a lot of growth because of the Great Haddon development, and others," Cole replied.

"The school would not be being built if there wasn't a need for it."

Council leader Shabina Qayyum said Peterborough was "a fast-growing city" and demand had to be met.

Cole said she hoped to see Great Haddon develop into a community, "not just a school plonked in an area of housing where there are no other community facilities".

"I will be following along to make sure that things like community centres and playgrounds and other assets that are needed for thriving families are actually included within this development," she said.

Previously, The Hampton Academies Trust was appointed by the Department for Education to operate a new 420-place primary school in Great Haddon. The school is expected to be finished by September 2026.

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