A former primary school is to re-open as a school for children with special educational needs.

The Chipping Hill Primary School building in Church Road, Witham, (pictured right) will become an Essex Fresh Start school when the new term starts in September 2015.

Talks between land owners Essex County Council and independent schools operator the TCES Group are at an advanced stage.

A planning application to retain a relocatable classroom within the grounds of the site has also been made to Braintree Council.

The school was left empty in January 2012 when pupils and staff moved to a new building in Owers Road, which is undergoing a £2.7million revamp.

TCES Group commercial coordinator Sacha Nortier said: “From the outside it is going to look the same, but there are going to be changes inside because the majority of the classrooms are very big.

“The idea is that we will split those into two.”

He added: “We are looking to install CCTV, which will be happening in the next few weeks, because as it has been empty for so long, kids do go in there to play.”

Mr Nortier said the school would initially take about 20 pupils between the ages of seven and 16.

Essex Fresh Start is split over three sites in Harlow, Chelmsford and Clacton, but the Harlow and Chelmsford sites are due to close.

The latest Ofsted report from October last year gave the school a good overall rating.

The red brick schoolhouse opposite St Nicholas’ Church was opened in 1902 and a relocatable building was added in 1977 to house the library and additional office space.

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “Essex County Council has entered into a lease agreement with Transition Care and Education Services for the former site of Chipping Hill Primary School in Witham.

“The lease runs for five years and started in January 2015.”