The education campus planned for the 2012 Olympic village in east London has received planning permission and will teach 1,800 pupils aged between three and 19.

Chobham Academy in Stratford will open in September 2013 and specialise in performing arts, literacy and languages, although it will include a focus on sports excellence.

It was originally intended to be a specialist sports academy, but this changed after Nigel Hugill, former Europe chairman of Lend Lease, the Australian construction firm and property developer building the Olympic village, said it must have a cultural legacy in addition to a sporting one.

In addition to catering for nursery, primary, secondary and sixth-form pupils, the school will offer adult learning facilities.

It will be part of the Government’s national academy programme and funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Construction work will start this summer. A community arts complex and meeting centre are also planned. During the Games, it will be used to accommodate athletes.

David Higgins, chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the company in charge of building all the Games venues, said: “Chobham puts an education legacy at the heart of our regeneration ambitions for east London.”

As well as the academy, the village will feature thousands of new homes, plus parks and community facilities.

However, the number of homes has had to be scaled back in recent months because of funding problems in the recession.