More than £1 million has been awarded to Essex schools to reduce infant class sizes.

The biggest award was given to John Ray County Infant School, in Braintree, which scooped £130, 532 to build two new classrooms.

The school is one of the fastest-growing in the county and is expected to house around 329 pupils by 2001.

The news has been welcomed by headteacher Ronnie Hackett. She said: "At the moment we seem to have new pupils joining every week.

"We have several classes of over 30 and we have also had to put children in mixed age classes. The fact we are going to have some new classrooms will help us keep class sizes down."

In September across the county there were 8,192 pupils in classes over 30, but the Government has predicted this will drop to 172 by the autumn.

A total of 16 extra classrooms are to be built and 41 rooms have been earmarked for expansion.

The county has also been granted an extra 77 teachers, at a cost of almost £1.2 million a year.

Essex education committee chairman Iris Pummell said: "This is very good news for Essex, and in particular the 15 schools receiving the go-ahead to keep class sizes down.

"I am particularly pleased Essex now appears to be receiving a fairer slice of Government cash in education."

Chairman of the Essex Parents Association Marion Williams also welcomed the news.

She said: "I am delighted. The government are not only saying we need to reduce infant class sizes but they are actually doing something about it."

Work on the new classrooms will begin in September.

Special needs schools could close if the Government puts most children with learning disabilities into mainstream education.

The government's proposal to reduce pupil numbers in special needs schools by a third is out to consultation by Essex County Council.

Teachers and parents alike expressed their anger at a meeting of the county education committee.

Councillor Donald Morris, said: "We are still getting responses coming in from parents and children.

"If we reduce numbers by a third, then the schools would become unsustainable because they don't have enough pupils. I don't agree with the government policy."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.