Almost £10m is being ploughed into Radnor House School to fund the purchase of an independent school in Kent.

Albion, one of the largest independent venture capitalists in the UK, announced on Wednesday, February 25, it would fund the Twickenham school's acquisition of Combe Bank School, Sevenoaks.

The venture capitalists hope to increase its exposure in the independent education sector by investing £9.5m into the co-educational school.

David Paton, executive principal at Radnor House, said: "It has long been our desire to build on the strengths and achievements of Radnor House by developing a small group of schools.

"Having looked at several opportunities over the years, we believe we have found an excellent partner in Combe Bank.

"Most importantly, we share many of the same academic and pastoral values and ambitions.

"We are excited about the possibilities to help Combe Bank share our commitment to academic excellence and to realise its full potential."

Albion invested an initial £8.7m in Radnor House in 2010 and since opening in 2011, has increased its intake to 360 with another rise to near-capacity expected by September.

Emil Gigov, Albion partner, said he wanted to expanded the Radnor House model though investing in other schools.

He said: "Radnor House has been a tremendous success story and, together with the management team, we have been looking for some time for opportunities to add further schools to the Radnor House Group.

"We are delighted to have Combe Bank as the second school in what will eventually become a high quality independent schools group.

"With new investment, strong leadership and an unswerving commitment to academic excellence, Combe Bank has the right ingredients to become a highly successful school and a valuable addition to our investment portfolio."