Surrey County Council has enlisted Willmott Dixon for £23m project to build a new home for Hopescourt School in Walton-on-Thames.

This will be the country’s flagship Net Zero Carbon Special Free School when complete in Spring 2026, offer specialist school places for 200 autistic pupils aged 4-19 years.

Hopescourt School opened on a temporary site in West Molesey in September this year after two years of planning and development in a partnership between Surrey County Council and Bourne Education Trust with Freemantles School in Woking, and the Department for Education Regions Group.

Procured under the Southern Construction Framework, Willmott Dixon is working with HNW Architects on the new school.

Richard Poulter, managing director at Willmott Dixon in the South, said: “This new school represents a crucial investment in our community, offering children with additional needs a dedicated environment where they can thrive.”