The government has given the green light for a new secondary school to open in Gravesend.

Gravesend Central School will be run by Endeavour MAT, a Trust with three secondary schools already in the Dartford area.

The new free school has been approved by the government subject to it locating a suitable site.

It forms part of the Department for Education's latest wave of school allocations, with almost all of the approved bids falling to established Multi-Academy Trusts (MATS).

Once opened the secondary school will serve around 900 pupils across years 7 to 11 and have a creative and and digital industries specialism to separate the educational offer from that already provided locally.

It hopes this will help students to pursue careers in varied and evolving jobs markets in the future.

In a statement the Trust said: "Endeavour MAT is delighted to have been notified that its bid to open a new secondary school in Gravesend has been successful, subject to sourcing an appropriate site.

"Gravesend Central School expects to mirror the approach to learning offered at Stone Lodge School.

"The schools, whilst comprehensive and fully inclusive in intake, offer a culture that is akin to their partner grammar schools of high aspiration in a disciplined, yet nurturing environment."

On the school's creative focus it added: "The creative economy accounts for 2.6 million jobs in the UK, making it bigger than sectors like Manufacturing, Financial Services and Construction.

"Although the creative sector has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, there is no doubt that it will bounce back again in time, with an additional 1 million jobs being projected in this sector by 2030.

"As a sector of the economy that is less vulnerable to automation, it makes sense to help to develop the skills and attributes to enable students to pursue careers in an array of roles from marketing professionals to computer programmers, and from actors to video games developers.

"Such skills are anticipated to be in exceptionally high demand in the Gravesham area, given the proposal to create a multi-billion pound entertainment resort on the Swanscombe peninsular and the creation of a large Garden City development with leisure facilities in nearby Ebbsfleet."

The Endeavour Trust was formed in 2017 following the merger of Wilmington Grammar School for Boys and Wilmington Grammar School for Girls.

It already has a free school in Stone, Dartford with Stone Lodge opening its temporary headquarters catering to 120 pupils in September 2019.

The school is oversubscribed for places and will soon move into a new facility capable of hosting around 1200 pupils and an additional 250 sixth formers.

Commenting on today's announcement the DfE said it “reflects the government’s continued commitment to the free school programme”, adding that 558 free schools had already opened nationwide to date.

Unity Howard, director of the charity New Schools Network said: "This is fantastic news for communities across the country. Free schools have an incredible track record of driving up standards, and we have seen over the past decade just how popular free schools are with parents.

"The groups planning these new free schools should be proud today; the free school application process is demanding, and this year they have dealt with additional uncertainties owing to the pandemic.

"I wish them the very best of luck as they begin working towards welcoming children through the doors of their new schools in the years to come."

A location for the new school in Gravesend is currently being sourced and the Trust says further announcements will be made in due course.

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend