NEW primary schools to help curb the growing pressure of school places opened last week.

Watling Park School, in Burnt Oak, the Wren Academy, in North Finchley and the London Academy, in Edgware, welcomed new pupils at the start of the September term.

A total of 60 pupils at Watling Park were welcomed to reception, which will be temporarily housed at the old Orion School site in Colindale.

Wren Academy and London Academy have built a new primary school buildings on each of their upper school sites to offer places to 60 reception-aged children.

At full capacity, each school will provide 420 primary school places to meet Barnet council’s growing demand for school places.

Councillor Reuben Thompstone, chairman of the Children Education Libraries and Safeguarding Committee said: “I am thrilled to be welcoming these three new primaries into Barnet’s schools family.

“We are continuing to work tirelessly to create additional new school places where they are needed across the borough, and will continue to do so as our population grows.”

Barnet Council has spent more than £88 million on expanding and rebuilding primary and second schools throughout the borough between 2011-2012 and 2014-15.

They have proposed to spend a further £119 million in five years.