A brand new secondary school will open in Waltham Forest with places for 1,400 pupils – as early as next September.

Plans for the free school were given the go-ahead by the Department for Education as the number of students is predicted to soar in the next five years.

The Lion Academy Trust, which runs three Walthamstow primary schools is behind the plans.

Barclay Secondary Free School will open in September 2016.

The school will be a mixed community school for learners between 11-19 with no religious denomination.

A site for the school has still not been named although it is expected to be in Leyton or Walthamstow.

Justin James of the Lion Academy Trust said: “This journey started as a result of local parents demanding better for their children – I am extraordinarily proud of the team in the Trust to get through to the next stage of answering this demand and look forward to 16 months of hard work to get Barclay Secondary Free School open.

“We are determined to bring the best of what we do and the same urgency and drive from our existing schools to ensure all our learners achieve the very best they can.”

Mr James warned that the coming election could pose a threat to the development.

He added: “Free Schools are a flagship Tory policy – there is a risk that should the general election outcome in May bring about a significant change in government, the project may be at risk of being paused or even stopped completely.

“We can’t do anything about this possibility and will carry on working on the project until we know the outcome.”

Interested parents can find out more by contacting Christopher Stark on Christopher@lionacademytrust.net