The council’s education chief has said she wants to meet with an academy planning a free school in the west of the borough to make sure it provides the best education possible for the community.

Cllr Ayfer Orhan, Enfield Council cabinet member for education, children's services and protection, has cautiously welcomed plans by the Wren Academy Trust to build a new school in western Enfield by September 2018.

Wren have had an application to set up a free school accepted by the Department of Education, and have secured the money needed. However they are yet to choose a site on which to build the school.

Cllr Orhan said: “The public want to be assured that schools are in the right location, and that there is the right number of them for their children. We as a council want the schools to have an admissions policy and an ethos that sits comfortably with us, and is not exclusive.

“I categorically want to meet with Wren and have a conversation about their project, to make sure it fulfils its potential.

“A big concern is that free schools and academies can build anywhere they want, and if they build in an area with existing schools it could destabilise things. We want to make sure anyone who wants to run a school in Enfield has a good working relationship with the local authority.”

Wren say they have suggested three possible sites for the school. Their preferred site is on Enfield Road, Oakwood, because of transport links and having the space needed for a new secondary school.

They said they will now start the detailed planning for opening the school, including appointing the head teacher and staff, forming the governing body and talking to parents.

Michael Whitworth, executive principal of Wren Academy Trust, said, “We look forward to working with local primary schools and their parents to help develop our plans for the new school. We are confident that the special atmosphere at Wren Academy is something parents will want for Enfield. We are grateful to the hundreds of parents who supported our application and helped us get approval.”

The planned school will cater for children in years three and four. Mr Whitworth said the school will be “based on Christian values and open to the whole community whether Christians, other faiths or of no faith.”

Wren expect to open admissions in September 2017.

Conservative councillor for Chase Ward Nick Dines said he was surprised it had taken Cllr Orhan so long to raise concerns over the Wren plans.

He said: "On behalf of parents in Chase Ward concerned about school places I have been in contact with them for six months or so and hundreds of parents in Enfield have been to their presentation evenings as they seek to set up a school in our Borough. Why has she not pro-actively sought to get in touch with before now?

"Finding a suitable site in central or Western Enfield is going to be difficult and tough choices will have to be made. But we should all be pro-actively working with the Wren to find a suitable location rather than act in a stand-offish manner."