A Witham primary school can increase its forest school sessions due to a £2,000 donation.

The children at Holy Family Catholic Primary School can now spend more time learning in their outdoor area thanks to the grant from Persimmon Homes Essex.

The school has been running a Forest School as an after-school activity, but will now be able to extend this to ensure every child can benefit from it.

The funding, from the housebuilder's Community Champions scheme, will allow them to run sessions throughout the school day so small groups of pupils can spend time in the outdoor learning area.

Veronica Lonergan, class teacher and Forest School leader at the Maltings Lane school, said: "Forest Schools encourages children to learn through creative play, exploration and supported risk-taking.

"This funding will enable us to offer a Forest Schools opportunity to every child.

"We are so grateful to Persimmon Homes and the wider school community who have applied for this fund for us."

Luke Atkinson, technical director of Persimmon Homes Essex, visited the school to see how the money will be used and hear more about the benefits of Forest Schools.

He said: "It was a pleasure to see the opportunities that this funding has created for the children at Holy Family Primary, and hear about the wider benefits of the Forest Schools programme.

"At Persimmon Homes we are passionate about giving back to the communities around us, and one way we can do that is through donations like this."