Free schools get permission to lease Richmond Council sites

Both Thompson House School and St Mary’s Hampton Church of England Primary were given the go ahead by Michael Gove to become independent free schools.

Richmond Council is proposing to lease Thompson House the Old Courthouse site in Mortlake and Hampton’s Oldfield School site to St Mary’s.

Councillor Paul Hodgins, cabinet member for schools, said: “Since these two schools were given the thumbs up, the council has worked closely with their proposers and with the Department for Education’s education funding agency.”

He said this was to ensure the council could identify sites that are suitable buildings in accessible locations.

He said: “Both schools have expressed a wish to work very closely with the council and other local agencies and I therefore look forward to welcoming them into our local family of schools.”