The UK’s first state funded Church of England bilingual school has opened in Harrow.

The three times over-subscribed Saint Jerome Church of England Bilingual School, on Station Road, will teach the English national curriculum with additional focus on the students learning French.

Housed in what was previously Wickes contact centre, the building has been undergoing a transformation since January to turn it into a brand new school.

St Jerome’s builds on the success of its partner school, Holy Trinity Primary in Northwood, whose head teacher Rev Daniel Norris now becomes executive head teacher of both schools.

The school was the idea of a group of parents, who approached the London Diocesan Board for Schools to see if they could be supported in their plans to open a Christian bilingual school in the area. Mr Norris, who was a part-time advisor in the diocese, agreed to participate in the project.

“I was captivated by the idea,” he said.

“We accept that in the UK we aren’t generally good at learning languages, and for our children to learn to be international communicators seems very consistent with our Christian mission.”

Elizabeth Walton, a former deputy head teacher with 18 years of teaching experience in Harrow, becomes head of school.

Bilingual education experts from Cambridge University’s department of applied linguistics helped devise the curriculum, and Harrow School has offered regular classroom help from teachers and senior pupils.

The new school will address some of the school places shortfall in Harrow, and becomes only the second CofE primary school in the borough. 80 per cent of places are open to pupils who live locally, with the other 20 per cent going to local children who attend a Christian church.

Andrew and Victoria Morsley, parents of one of the sixty Reception aged children who joined the school in September, said: “We were really excited about the opportunity to send our son Charlie to St Jerome’s.

“The school is offering a combination of bilingual education, excellent facilities and a loving Christian ethos.

“It promises to be unique among schools in Harrow, and we’re delighted to be part of the school community as the doors open for the first time.”