The new free school which has been given the go-ahead by the government to open next September has announced the appointment of its head teacher.

Hackney New School (HNS), which is currently considering two potential locations – one in London Fields, the other in Hoxton – has brought on board Lesley Falconer who has been working in Surrey as a head for the last 13 years.

Lesley Falconer commented: “I am thrilled to be involved in such a unique project and committed to making HNS a very successful secondary school.”

Boris Johnson announced plans to roll out as many free schools across London as he can this month, but local campaigners who formed the group Hackney Says No To Free School believe the move is tantamount to privatisation of the school system and reduces the budget for other local schools.