Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing has hailed Epping’s new secondary school as “brilliant” and says she cannot wait to see it open in September.
 
The new St John’s School will be known as Epping St John’s School.
 
Mrs Laing and a number of other guests, including Essex County Council deputy education cabinet member Valerie Metcalfe, were given a special tour of the site.
 
The party was shown the sports hall, kitchen, dining area and several classrooms. Glass screens will ensure as much natural light as possible gets into the new building.
 
The school will be looking to hire out its facilities to local organisations so that the school will well and truly be part of the local community.
 
Its sports hall is already being lined up as a potential venue for international badminton tournaments.
 
An artificial sports pitch has been already been laid in the grounds alongside a grassed sports pitch and both internal and external building work is progressing well to ensure the handover date is met.
 
Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing said: “I’m so excited about these new facilities and so enthusiastic about it.
 
“It’s a brilliant building, it’s so light and airy and it’s absolutely state-of-the-art and the children of Epping deserve to have this excellent school to give them the best start in life.”
 
Headteacher  George Yerosimou said: “I am really excited that after many years in the planning and building of our iconic new school we are just months away from opening our doors to the children of Epping and the surrounding villages.
 
“September 2013 will be a landmark moment for our local community. Epping St John’s will provide outstanding accommodation and transformational learning and our new buildings will complement the excellent education we already provide, as demonstrated by three successive ‘Good’ OFSTED judgements and GCSE standards above the Essex and national average.”
 
Loughton-based developer Higgins is building the school which is the company’s first secondary school project.
 
Company chairman Richard Higgins said: “We are very proud to be involved with the new school.
 
“It’s a state-of-the-art school and we’ve enjoyed doing the project and we are looking forward to doing the housing starting later this year.”