The new Blackheath secondary school has announced the Principal when it opens in September next year.

Emma Smith, currently the Deputy Principal at Stationers’ Crown Woods Academy in Eltham, will take up the role at Leigh Academy Blackheath when the school opens.

Ms Smith said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have been appointed Principal Designate of Leigh Academy Blackheath.

“I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to lead what will be a unique and inspirational place of learning within my own community.

“Raising my own family in Blackheath means I have first-hand experience as a parent of both primary and secondary education in the Borough.

“As a result I am truly passionate about building a school which meets and exceeds the needs of our community.”

Leigh Academy Blackheath will open at Victoria House on Shooters Hill Road as they wait for their new school building to be finished at the hold Blackheath Bluecoat School half a mile up the road.

The academy rejected more than 30 different locations in Greenwich before it settled on the location in Blackheath.

Ms Smith said: “The demand on school places in Greenwich is increasing and Leigh Academy Blackheath will provide local parents and carers with the opportunity to attend a Leigh Trust school at the heart of the borough.”