Pupils, parents and staff at a Chinese school dressed up in elegant outfits and danced to oriental music at the Chinese New Year parade in central London.

Volunteers behind the new Marco Polo Academy, which is expected to open in Burnt Oak in September 2014, had a float in the parade to raise awareness about the new school.

It will be the UK’s first Mandarin and English school, teaching lessons in both subjects and following a curriculum from Singapore.

The school, which will take pupils from four to 11-years-old, was approved by the Department for Education last week.