16/09/2024
Posted on: September 13th 2024
Topping Out Ceremony
On 13th September 2024, we celebrated reaching a new milestone in the construction of our new school building. The new building has now reached its highest point and was commemorated with a 'Topping Out' ceremony, featuring the burial of a time capsule.
Special guests included Cllr Rita Wood, Mayor of Swanley and The Rt Hon. Laura Trott, MP for Sevenoaks & Swanley, and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Also in attendance were TKAT's CEO Dr Karen Roberts, and Kevin Powley, the Project Director at the Department for Education along with representatives from BAM, the building contractors, Arcadis, the design and engineering consultants, and students of Orchards Academy.
"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"
- Cllr Rita Wood, Mayor of Swanley
"We are now seeing our vision become a reality - to create a new space that enables our staff and students to fulfil their potential and benefit from inspirational teaching and outstanding facilities. We are incredibly grateful to Laura Trott MP for her unwavering support for this new school, and for helping us to bring it to fruition. I look forward to seeing this space buzzing with students, staff and members of the community when it opens next year."
- TKAT's CEO, Dr Karen Roberts
"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.”
- The Rt Hon. Laura Trott, MP for Sevenoaks & Swanley, and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
