A crumbling secondary school has celebrated reaching a new milestone in the construction of its new multi-million pound school building.

The Orchards Academy in St Mary’s Road, Swanley, is being rebuilt while children and staff continue to use parts of the existing building after years of it being held up by scaffolding.

Construction on the £32.8m rebuild began in October 2023 and has now reached its highest point.

It was marked with a topping out ceremony, featuring the burial of a time capsule on the site of the new school, which took place last Friday (September 13).

The event began with guests watching a video of what the finished building will look like, with display boards showing different parts of the building, followed by the cutting of a specially commissioned cake.

Invited guests and pupils then went on-site to bury a time capsule, which contained items suggested by students, including a school tie, a letter, a school planner and timetable, house badges, an Orchards 'golden ticket' and a copy of the school canteen menu.

Special guests at the event included Laura Trott, MP for Sevenoaks and Swanley, and Cllr Rita Wood, Mayor of Swanley.

Cllr Wood, who helped dig the site for the capsule, 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.”

Ms Trott added: “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.”