Orchards Academy celebrate new milestone in the construction of its new school building - News - 51³Ô¹ÏÍøMulti-Academy Trust

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Orchards Academy celebrate new milestone in the construction of its new school building

Orchards Academy in Swanley, part of the Kemnal Academies Trust, celebrated reaching a new milestone in the construction of its new school building last week. 

The building of the new secondary school, which began construction in October 2023, has reached its highest point and was commemorated with a 'topping out' ceremony, featuring the burial of a time capsule on the site of the new school.
 
Special guests included Cllr Rita Wood, Mayor of Swanley and The Rt Hon. Laura Trott  - MP for Sevenoaks & Swanley, and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Also in attendance were TKAT's CEO Dr Karen Roberts, and Kevin Powley, the Project Director at the Department for Education. Representatives from BAM, the building contractors, and Arcadis, the design and engineering consultants, also attended the event.
 
The event began with guests watching a video of what the finished school will look like, with display boards showing different parts of the building, followed by the cutting of a specially commissioned cake.
 
Invited guests and  pupil representatives then went on-site to bury a  'time capsule', which contained items suggested by the pupils at the school, including a school tie, a letter from the students to whoever finds and opens the capsule in years to come, a school planner and timetable, house badges, an Orchards 'golden ticket' and a copy of the school canteen menu.
 
Swanley Mayor Cllr Rita Wood gave a helping hand to help dig the site for the capsule, and said:

"I'm delighted to be able to celebrate this milestone in the construction of the new school - my children and grandchildren attended here and I'm so pleased the next generations will be able to enjoy all that the new facilities have to offer"

The new school building is due for completion in Autumn 2025, with the demolition of the old school and construction of sports pitches and playing areas by Spring 2026.

51³Ô¹ÏÍøCEO Dr Karen Roberts said:

"We are now seeing our vision become a reality - to create a new space that enables our staff and students to fulfil their potential and benefit from inspirational teaching and outstanding facilities. We are incredibly grateful to Laura Trott MP for her unwavering support for this new school, and for helping us to bring it to fruition. I look forward to seeing this space buzzing with students, staff and members of the community when it opens next year."

Laura Trott, MP for Sevenoaks and Swanley said: 

"It was brilliant to join the celebrations and mark the topping out ceremony of the new school building. Securing the funding was one of my first major campaigns after becoming an MP and when open, it is going to be transformative for the children of Swanley and surrounding villages. This has all been made possible because we came together as a community, and I can’t wait to see the first pupils in their new classrooms.”