Construction work has commenced at the new Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School in Canterbury.

A ground-breaking ceremony was hosted at the site last week to mark the key milestone.

Contractor Kier has been appointed to deliver the new facility, which will house 1,100 pupils and boast approximately 7,500m2 of teaching space.

The development will include a new multi-use games area, which will comprise of two Sports England compliant games courts, including provision for tennis, netball, basketball and hockey.

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."

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Roger Gough, Kent County Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, added: "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."

Following the completion of the main school building, Kier will look to improve three existing buildings and demolish the original main school building and connecting blocks.

The school is set to open in 2021.

(CM/MH)