The building of an £80million education hub, which will be one of the largest education facilities in Kent, has taken a step closer to completion.

Plans for the campus at Ebbsfleet Garden City were approved in 2021 and aim to offer more than 2,200 places to primary and secondary school children in the area.

Last week, Northern Irish construction company GRAHAM was appointed by Eastern Quarry Limited (EQL) as the contactors tasked with progressing the multi-million-pound Alkerden Academy project.

The site is located in the Whitecliffe development and will create a five-storey secondary school building and a two-storey primary school.

The campus will also include a community sports hall and sports pitches together with car parking.

Construction has already started, with a target date of July 2026 for completion.

The project was previously scheduled to finish in 2023, but was delayed after developers said there “wasn’t currently demand for it, and opening too early could see places go to children from outside the area”.

Construction was expected to begin in the summer of 2021 but it didn’t start until last year, with the foundations for the secondary school being completed.

EQL is owned and managed by Henley Camland, a joint venture between Henley Investment Management and Camland Developments, which is delivering the project.

Henley Investment Management chief executive Ian Rickwood said: “The new Alkerden Academy, a major education hub and community sports facility, is at the heart of our plans for this development.

“We are on site and delivering this all-through school, putting in place vital infrastructure and amenities, to support local residents and new communities that will make Whitecliffe their home.

“Working with our partners we are bringing forward new villages and facilitating the delivery of 6,250 homes in Ebbsfleet Garden City.”

GRAHAM regional director Pat O’Hare added: “Alkerden Academy is a key component of the Whitecliffe development, providing significant educational and recreational benefits to the Ebbsfleet Valley community.

“Our team is dedicated to delivering a facility that not only meets the highest standards of sustainability but also provides an enriching environment for students and the community.

“This project demonstrates our capability to manage complex developments, and we look forward to working closely with EQL and the consultancy team to bring this vision to fruition.”

The school has faced criticism from parents before opening after its admissions policy came under the spotlight.

Frustrated Garden City residents claimed they were being “sold a dream” by the academy, which was forced to add an extra class after it became oversubscribed and some living nearby feared their child could be refused a place over others living further afield.