Two free schools will open on Barking Riverside

Two free schools will open in Barking, the government announced today.

The Riverside Co-op Free School and the London Riverside School are two of 102 free schools in England that have been approved.

The schools will be built on the new Barking Riverside development, with the former catering for secondary pupils and the latter for primary and secondary pupils only.

Speaking today, Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Free schools symbolise everything that is good about the revolution that we are bringing to Britain’s schools. Choice for parents, power in the hands of teachers, discipline and rigour and high quality education in areas that are crying out for more good local schools.

“The message from the first two years is clear and unambiguous. Free schools work and parents and teachers want more of them.”