A new school in Ickenham for pupils with learning difficulties has celebrated its official opening.

Pentland Field School welcomed permanent secretary for the Department of Education Chris Wormald earlier this month.

The school is run by The Eden Academy, which runs a 'family of schools' with two more in Hillingdon and Harrow, and is for pupils with moderate to severe learning difficulties.

The school is on the site of a former US air force school in Pentland Way, and opened to its first 33 pupils on January 12.

Headteacher Audrey Pantelis said: “I am very excited to be leading this brand new school which caters so well for our pupils and is supported by the experience of the team of the Eden Academy.

“At Pentland Field School there is a special emphasis on Speech & Language Therapy to ensure we help to improve our pupils’ language and communication and we have a team of dedicated creative and physical therapists similar to the current set-up in our other Academy schools.”

The official reopening took place on February 6.