Contract close has been reached on a £16.7 million school in Barking, it has been announced.

Wates Construction is to develop the second school in the Barking, Dagenham and Newham batch of the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).

The project forms part of over £150m worth of new and refurbished school buildings under the PSBP that Wates has been appointed to deliver since the EFA launched the programme in 2011.

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The project includes a 420 capacity primary school with 26 nursery places and a 1,800-place secondary school.

The new buildings have been designed by CPMG and will feature modern classrooms and science laboratories.

Following completion, some of the former school buildings will be demolished and replaced with landscaped grounds and new sports facilities.

The new primary school is to be handed over in September 2016, with the secondary school in early 2017.

Ian Vickers, Regional MD for Wates Construction, said: "We're delighted to once again be utilising our experience to deliver a further school in partnership with the EFA. We've worked closely with the EFA to create a cost efficient and inspiring learning environment for staff and pupils to utilise as a platform for success for many years to come."

(LM/CD)