A headteacher has introduced a silence policy at her secondary school which sees children banned from talking while walking between lessons.

Val Masson claims the new rules have transformed pupils' behaviour at The Albany School in Hornchurch, east London since they were brought in a month ago.

Mrs Masson, who was appointed the school's headteacher in September 2016, said she wanted schoolchildren to benefit from an "academic atmosphere" and to build mutual respect with staff.

Under her policy, pupils must walk between lessons in complete silence and queue on the playground three times a day before classes without making noise.

From September, Year 10 students, who are studying for their GCSEs, will also stay behind after school ends for four days a week to learn for an extra hour without speaking.