Pupils want to feel the Games buzz, says head

Prospective pupils flocking to join London’s new Olympic school want to recreate the “buzz” of the Games, the new headteacher said.

Chobham Academy will open on the Olympics site in September. It has already had 750 applications for the first 120 places and will take pupils from nursery age to 18.

Principal Jason Baigent admitted families were taking a risk by going to a new school with no track record but said the reputation of the Harris academies, which will run the school, had helped recruitment.

He said many parents helped at the Games, adding: “They want to continue the buzz they felt at the Olympics and have a keen interest in making sure the legacy actually happens and means something to them.”