THE new school on Osprey Quay, Portland is nearing completion.

VIPS will attend an event to mark the handover of buildings to the Portland Academy project next month.

An event will be held on February 12 to mark the transfer of buildings at Osprey Quay.

The buildings will be handed over from Dorset County Council to the Portland Academy.

The county council made the buildings on Lerret Road, Portland, available to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games for use during last summer’s Olympic sailing events.

The buildings will then be fitted out to become the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy’s (IPACA) Osprey Quay campus in the next academic year.

On February 12 special guests from the county council, Portland Academy, Portland Town Council and the project’s sponsors the Aldridge Foundation will be attending to mark the official handover.

Speaking about the handover of Osprey Quay campus to IPACA, Principal Alison Appleyard said: “We are very grateful to Dorset County Council for providing the academy with this great new building.

“This is another important step in providing the very best facilities for all students across Portland and an Academy that can truly deliver 21st century education.”

IPACA opened on September 6, last year and brought together four existing schools on the isle: the Grove, Brack-enbury and Underhill, Southwell and Royal Manor Arts College.

The academy will cater for nursery and reception age children up through to 16 year olds.

There are plans to admit 16-19 year olds in the future.

The aim is for teaching to be done across two campuses when it is completed – Osprey Quay and Southwell Business Park.

Last month a planning application for the Southwell Business Park site was ‘temporarily withdrawn,’ to allow the Academy Trust ‘time to address the concerns raised about travel and access in greater detail.’ The intention is that the further work on the transport plan will be completed by February at which point the planning process will be picked up again.

Construction company Stepnell is nearing completion of the internal fit out and finishing works to the much anticipated new school building.

The state-of-the-art learning facility has already played a historic role as part of the Olympic Sailing Village. During last year’s London 2012 Olympics, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) used the 1,900 sq m building as a social area for 700 competing athletes.

“We’re very close to completing the fit out and external works to the new school which we will be handing over to Dorset County Council next month,” says Bill Davies, Stepnell site manager. “This has been an exciting construction project for Stepnell and we’ve enjoyed working with the Council to deliver what will be a truly excellent learning facility for children in the community.”

The school has been designed to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. Stepnell has created a living roof that will grow grass and other plants which will provide a natural habitat for insects.

Locally sourced building materials including Portland stone have been used in the construction of the building which has rainwater harvesting and biomass boilers fired by eco-friendly wood pellets.