THE HEADTEACHER of Twyford CofE High School has spoken of her excitement at spreading her team's success to the north of the borough after being chosen to help create a free school last week.

Twyford High School, in Twyford Crescent, Acton, is one of the most popular in the borough but is over-subscribed. Headteacher Alice Hudson saw the need for a new secondary in Greenford as the perfect way to help more pupils benefit from her school's success.

She said: "We're not talking about Twyford mark two. It's going to be an entirely unique school. It will have its own individual identity, its own admissions policy. It'll be Twyford quality with a strong ethos drawn from a religious perspective, reflecting our cultural background rather than being evangelical."

Despite having a Christian focus, the school will be open to all.

Twyford became an academy on October 1, giving it more freedom from council control, to enable it to

be eligible to set up another school.

But Ms Hudson said Twyford would continue to work with Ealing Council, who she praised, and pupils and parents would not notice any difference.

Had Twyford's bid to create the new school, made jointly with the London Diocesan Board for Schools, not succeeded, Ms Hudson said she would still have been keen to use the new status to branch out in other ways.

She said: "We would have looked at other ways of doing more within the wider community, perhaps working very closely with a primary school. For us it's about being ambitious as an institution and extending our reach to be able to offer a good service to more students."

Although Ms Hudson will be actively involved in the creation of the new school, which could be called the North Ealing Church of England Academy, parents and students at Twyford have no reason to fear her attention will be drawn too far from Twyford.

She said: "I will remain as intensely involved and committed to Twyford's smooth running and excellent standards."