An application for a school in East Molesey has been turned down, despite a parent-campaign to get one.

Surrey Comet:

Parents had been campaigning for another secondary school in Molesey since July 2013. The Cobham Free School Trust had considered expanding to a site in East Molesey and wanted to set up a new three or four form mixed sex secondary school to open in September 2017.

A post on the support group for the school said: "I am sorry to inform you that we have heard from the Department for Education today [March 9] that our application to open a free school to serve the East Molesey/Thames Ditton area has not been successful."

Cobham Free School, currently based at the old police station in Portsmouth Road, opened as part of the Government’s free school programme in 2012 and expanded to include a senior department in 2014.

In order to get an idea of demand, parents were invited to register interest for a new school. In one day, 460 responses were received.

Michaela Khatib, headteacher at Cobham Free School, said: "Obviously it is quite disappointing news however we are obviously pleased for the other schools that did get approved yesterday.

"While it's disappointing for the East Molesey area we are delighted that the government have been able to approve so many."

She said the approvals were for areas most in need at the time, adding: "We have another school that we are developing at the moment. So that's keeping us extremely busy."

Councillor Steve Bax, for Molesey East, praised the school for the work put in to submit the application and hoped it would try again in the future.

He said: "Like many other parents in the area I am very disappointed by the decision as I still think there is a great demand for a free school in Molesey and the Dittons."