Kier invited guests and project partners to celebrate the major milestone for construction at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School in Canterbury last week
Work to build the new 1,100 pupil school began this summer with the facilities set to open in 2021. Once complete, the school will provide approximately 7,500m2 of teaching space across a range of traditional classrooms and learning areas as well as specialist areas for art, science and technology.
The scheme includes a new multi-use games area, which will comprise of two Sports England compliant games courts, including provision for tennis, netball, basketball and hockey.
Once completed the new school will pay homage to the original building with a window layout that is reminiscent of the 1950’s original design.
Jonathan Payne, managing director for Kier Regional Building Southern, said: “Working collaboratively with the Department for Education, Kent County Council and the school, we are proud to mark the start of work on this state-of-the-art school that has been designed to provide an environment that will allow pupils to build their futures whilst reminding them of the past. We look forward to providing the local community with a first-class facility that will benefit generations to come.”
Roger Gough, Kent County Council’s cabinet member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “We are very pleased to see the building work commence to deliver new modern educational facilities for Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School.
“It has taken a long time of planning and working with the school and its community, the Department for Education and Kier to get to this point and we are all looking forward to watching the new school buildings take shape.”
After the construction of the main school building is complete, a second stage of the project will begin which will see works undertaken to improve three existing buildings as well as the demolition of the original main school building and connecting blocks.
