An infants school which was devastated by fire will be rebuilt and extended to provide 65 extra places for children.

Essex County Council made a final decision last Friday to go ahead with building a replacement school for John Ray Infants School in Notley Road, which was completely destroyed by a fire a year ago this week.

The new designs for the school, which currently holds 295 pupils, include 12 classrooms, a kitchen, a reception area and a hall to accommodate up to 360 children.

John Ray Junior School, which has a current capacity of 370 pupils, will also benefit from a single-storey, four-classroom extension, as well as an extension to the hall to cater for about 120 extra pupils, increasing capacity to 480.

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.