New school name in recognition of Weston’s proud aviation history

A new 630-pupil primary school being built to service a growing Weston-super-Mare community has been given a name which reflects both its location and the town’s rich aviation heritage.

The school will be located adjacent to Persimmon @ Haywood Village, a residential development being delivered by Persimmon Homes Severn Valley on the site of the former Weston Airfield. And in recognition of the site’s former use, the new school will be named Airfield Primary Academy when it opens in September 2026.

The name has been chosen following local research and engagement by the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), which has been chosen to run the new school. Leaders at the CLF – which already runs six other schools in Weston, all of which are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted – wanted a name which represents the local area, and which the community could understand and feel part of.

Weston Airfield – which was used from the early years of commercial flights in 1912 through until 1995 – was once one of the UK’s busiest airports, with 30,000 passengers flying from Weston to Bristol, Birmingham, London Croydon and Bournemouth in its 1930s heyday.

It was used by the military throughout World War Two, and the town’s aviation links continued post-war, with Westland Helicopters then the town’s biggest employer and RAF Locking operating nearby. Part of the former base is now home to the newly-built second campus of the CLF’s Winterstoke Hundred Academy.

Although parts of the former airfield – such as the 1936 control tower and 1940s pilots’ block – have since been restored as part of a Weston aviation exhibition at the nearby Helicopter Museum, much of the site is now being developed for housing.

And it is the growth of those Haywood Village and Parklands housing developments which has created the need for a new school, which will also include a nursery and community sports facilities.

Airfield Primary Academy – which secured formal planning permission in September – will be built by house builder Persimmon Homes, the firm behind the Persimmon @ Haywood Village development, to specifications set out by the CLF and North Somerset Council.

Steve Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at the Cabot Learning Federation, said “The CLF has been deeply invested in Weston-super-Mare since 2011, and specifically in the growing and developing Haywood Village/Locking Parklands community since 2016. We are delighted to have the opportunity to continue to serve this community through the creation of Airfield Primary Academy – a name which has been carefully chosen to reflect the community and its heritage.

“We look forward to working closely with North Somerset Council and other partners on another school building project, having enjoy excellent working relationships and real collaborative success in the past.”

Councillor Catherine Gibbons, Deputy Leader of North Somerset Council and Executive Member for Children’s Services, Families and Lifelong Learning, commented “North Somerset Council is committed to securing local schools for local children and is pleased to be working with the Cabot Learning Federation and Persimmon Homes to progress the opening of the new Airfield Primary Academy in Haywood Village.

“The name of the school mirrors the aspirations we all share, to support our children and young people to aim high and to follow in the ambitions of those in the aviation business who contributed so much to the area’s advancement. 

“It’s also fantastic to that the school name builds on long-standing pride around our local aviation history, showing appreciation for the important role that the RAF has played. In naming the school with a nod to the airfields, we are able to help recognise this history and share it with classes of school children and the wider community for years to come. The new Airfield Primary Academy is also a great example of how the council can work with academy trusts and developers to meet the needs of local residents. We wish CLF every success.”

Persimmon Homes Severn Valley Managing Director, Claire Burton, added “Persimmon is proud to see progress on the Haywood Village development reaching a new milestone with the upcoming construction of Airfield Primary Academy. The school’s name is a fitting tribute to the area’s history, acknowledging the former Weston Airfield’s legacy and its role in the community.

“This will be the second school we deliver as part of our scheme for the community, complementing the existing facilities in Haywood Village and further supporting the growing needs of local families at the development. We’re pleased to contribute to the evolving educational landscape in Weston-super-Mare and look forward to seeing Airfield Primary Academy become a central part of the community as we continue to build quality new homes for local families.”

Families keen to learn more about Airfield Primary Academy and its admission processes can find out more here.