Croydon’s first Hindu school is set to break more new ground – by being the first in the borough with a rooftop playground.

Victoria House, a former pupil referral unit in Southbridge Place, is to be redeveloped into Krishna Avanti Primary School, which is set to open in September at a temporary home.

Proposals for the three-storey building, which will take in 420 pupils, are to be presented to Croydon Council’s planning committee on Thursday.

The school, for pupils aged four to 11, will have two classes in each year.

Avanti Schools Trust’s plans include a two teaching blocks of two and three storeys as well as a rooftop play area.

The school is planned to open in September using the Minster Church of England Infant and Nursery School in Warrington Road as a temporary home, pending approval to redevelop Victoria House.

Brij Vadhvania, project manager for the trust, said: “This school has been born out of demand from the community.

“We already have four schools running around the country and they requested to have one in Croydon.

“Although we are a Hindu school we are completely inclusive, we have no faith criteria for our pupils or our staff.”

The Department for Education granted permission for the trust to open the free school in March 2015.

Progress on the plans will be examined at Thursday’s planning committee meeting before the trust lodges a formal planning application with the council at a later date.

Council leader Tony Newman said the school was “absolutely great news” for the borough.

He said: “Croydon is clearly one of London’s finest and most diverse boroughs and this sounds like absolutely great news.

“We have a fantastic Hindu community in Croydon, I have been working with them on looking at plans to have more of a presence somewhere in Croydon but in the meantime a school sounds like good news to me.

“We have a lot of diversity and it is nice to see that reflected in a school. It is just part of that fantastic, rich mix that is Croydon.”