A new free school is one step closer to opening.

A group of parents partnered with charity Russell Education Trust hope to meet the demand for secondary school places in the borough by opening Turing House School in September 2014.

The school will be for children aged between 11 and 18 and will focus on science, engineering and music.

The Department for Education assessed the Turing House application and invited the proposers for an interview on Friday, March 8.

Steering group member Colin MacKinlay said it was encouraging that they have been given an early interview.

He said: “It’s almost the final hurdle in that they have assessed the bid and decided it’s strong enough to be considered.

“We are really pleased that we have got through to this point.”

The group expect to find out the outcome of the proposal this summer.

The proposer’s preferred site is building two at the National Physical Laboratory, next to Bushy Park in Teddington, because it is publicly owned, would be good value for money and fitted in with the school’s ethos.

Mr MacKinlay said they remained cautious about securing the building as the Government reviewed the future of the site and announced a new laboratory is due to be built, which may mean old buildings could be put back into use.

He said: “Really the whole question of site gets handed over to the Department for Education.”

For more information on the proposed school visit turinghouseschool.org.uk.