The Bishop of London presided over a special service to mark the start of term at a new Church of England school in Hampton.

The school, which opened its doors to 30 children this week, is the result of a successful joint tender between St Mary's Church, Hampton and the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS).

The LDBS project managed the process and took on additional procurement responsibilities for the new school building, which is to be completed later this year.

After the service, Bishop Richard Chartres unveiled a large watercolour painting by local artist Trudi Murray representing St Mary's Church, the Thames, local wildlife and portraits of Jesus and his mother Mary.

He also joined the school's recently appointed headteacher Catherine Davis in cutting a cake to mark the birth of the school family.

She said: "Since coming on board I have felt wonderfully supported by the Diocese of London and I look forward hugely to many successful years at St Mary's Hampton.

"It was a great honour to be joined by Bishop Richard to mark the start of this exciting new journey with our children, staff and their families."

Derek Winterburn, Vicar of St Mary's Parish Church, Hampton and Chair of the Governing Body, added: "Our team of church members and others has worked very hard and set high standards to ensure that this project was delivered on time.

"It was therefore with great pleasure that we were able to mark the start of our first term with Bishop Richard and friends."