Fresh photos provide a glimpse inside the first new secondary school to be built in Canterbury for almost 60 years.

Construction has now finished at the in-demand £20 million Barton Manor School, where competition was fierce for an initial 150 places.

The secondary school will be part of the Barton Court Academy Trust (BCAT), which also runs Canterbury's Barton Court Grammar, and the Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs.

Building work, which began in 2020, was completed last week, and new photos now give a peek inside the state-of-the-art site in Spring Lane.

The secondary has been constructed on the site of the former Chaucer School, which closed its doors in 2015 after falling standards and dwindling student numbers led the county council (KCC) to declare it “no longer viable”.

The large build stands three storeys high, and boasts facilities for catering, textiles, hair, beauty and therapy, 3D design, as well as digital technologies, business and finance, IT and health and social care.

The free comprehensive is set to welcome its first group of 150 Year 7s in September.

A total of 494 youngsters registered an interest in attending the school, although not necessarily as their first choice.

Barton Manor has now offered the 150 places, but it remains very popular with a long waiting list and a number of pupils having lodged appeals.

Another new cohort will be welcomed each following September.

By 2026, Barton Manor will build up to having five year groups, and hopes to offer sixth form provision within two to three years.

When at capacity, it will cater for 1,050 pupils aged 11 to 18.

Kirstin Cardus, head teacher of Barton Manor and executive head teacher of BCAT, said: “We are excited to offer such an amazing building and its facilities to our new students, their families, the local community, and to our current students and staff who work within BCAT.

"We look forward to opening Barton Manor School in September and welcoming its community into our successful trust.”

Bosses are confident the school will be a game-changer for education in Canterbury, especially when demand for spaces increases when planned housing developments come to fruition.

Shellina Prendergast, KCC’s cabinet member for education, previously said: “Particular credit is due to our project team who have worked with Barton Court Academy Trust, the DfE and the construction company Kier to create this fantastic new building.”