An international academic group will hold its first public meeting for Tauranga's newest private school, as extensive excavation works make swift progress.

Academic Colleges Group will speak directly to interested parents tomorrow (April 9) about the new independent school that will offer education from kindergarten through to Year 13.

Site excavation works in Pyes Pa for the Academic Colleges Group's independent school from kindergarten through to Year 13. Photos: Bruce Barnard.

Last year ACG purchased the 14ha kiwifruit orchard land on the corner of Keenan Rd and Pyes Pa Rd for the development of the school, which is set to offer education from Year 1-9 at first, with the school roll predicted to grow in two-year increments after that.

'We are very excited to be extending our schools into the Bay of Plenty and will open in February 2015,” says ACG chief executive Ian King.

'ACG offers excellent quality education through the highly regarded Cambridge International Examination programme,” says Ian.

'The ACG Schools in Auckland regularly feature amongst the top New Zealand Cambridge schools, and a number of our students have gained recognition as top in New Zealand and top in the world for their academic successes.”

Already earthworks are well underway with the long, dry summer allowing contractors to make good progress, expected to be complete this month.

Earthworks are well underway for the new school at Pyes Pa.

In May, stage one of building will begin with a 10-classroom block forecast to complete by November.

According to ACG the orientation of the grounds are 14.8ha of north-east facing land forming a natural amphitheatre with the independent secular school, which is co-educational, striving itself on family-focused and values-driven ideals.

ACG purchased the 14ha kiwifruit orchard land on the corner of Keenan Rd and Pyes Pa Rd last year for the development of the school.

The ACG Group's first school opened in Auckland in 1995 with ACG Senior College developed as New Zealand's first pre-university specialist centre by two leading educationalists; Sir John Graham and Dawn Jones.

ACG has gone from strength to strength and now has five schools in the Auckland region. They teach university foundation studies and English language courses to 1200 international students in Auckland, and also own ACG Yoobee School of Design.

The group now has five schools in the Auckland region and two international schools in Asia.

'Students are challenged to set goals for themselves, while extension activities are in place to stretch able students,” says Ian.

'A high priority is placed on providing an environment in which students feel safe and secure, where they are valued and feel happy and free to learn.”

The ACG Tauranga information afternoon will be held between 4pm and 7pm tomorrow at Trinity Wharf Hotel.