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Twickenham's MP has welcomed the creation of two new academies in his constituency as it might enable more parents to get their children into their first-choice school.

Vincent Cable, MP for Twickenham, said Hampton Community College and Whitton School being earmarked as academies, independent, all-ability state schools supported by sponsors, was timely and positive news.

This week he revealed it had become significantly more difficult to get into Orleans Park School and Teddington School, with parents having to live much closer to get places this year.

He said the distance cut off - from home to school - used to allocate places at Orleans has been reduced from four miles to just over two miles and at Teddington from 4.5 miles to under three miles and 63 children from linked schools were refused places in the initial allocation, 19 for Orleans Park and 44 for Teddington.

But he said the effective distance for Waldegrave School for Girls has been increased by about 200 metres, enabling a few more pupils from the Hampton Hill and Hampton area to enter.

Dr Cable said: "If the academies programme is able to liberate new investment and education support it will be possible to satisfy the aspirations of all parents and pupils instead of the - roughly - two thirds who receive first choice offers at present."

Councillor Malcolm Eady, Richmond Council cabinet member for education and children's services, said there was a fair chance some of the 63 pupils not initially allocated places at Orleans and Teddington would get in but could make no promises. He added Dr Cable had summarised the situation accurately.

He said: "We have a problem with these two over-subscribed schools but, by reinvigorating HCC and Whitton, it will appeal to local people, take those schools forward and overcome the problem.

"When Whitton and HCC improve we will have four super schools and I'm confident that will happen."

11:49am Friday 28th March 2008

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