WORK may soon begin on the building of a new secondary school on land adjacent to Thurrock Rugby Club which will eventually be the new self-contained Orsett Heath Academy.

Two temporary buildings are already in place on land at the club and currently two cohorts of students forming years seven and eight study there.

However, hopes that the new building would be ready by next September were scuppered earlier this year and it is now expected that the building will open in September 2024.

There will be no admission of a new cohort for the expected year seven in September 2023.

While there is little visible progress on the new school building, other than some hedge cutting and road markings on Stanford Road where a new access will be formed, work behind the scene is continuing.

Importantly, agents acting on behalf of the McAvoy Group who are to build the new school, have submitted a number of completed planning conditions to Thurrock Council for approval.

They include confirmation that a programme of archaelogical work has been carried out, which now allows groundworks to begin.