ST Peter's High School has received a substantial cash grant to boost its technology lessons.

It is hoped the upgraded equipment that can now be provided will help the Burnham school's bid for specialist status in technology.

Gary Walker, deputy headteacher at the Southminster Road school, said staff were pleased to hear an application for £51,748 from Magnox South's socio-economic plan was successful.

Despite going up against 200 other applicants, St Peter's was one of only four organisations to receive funding and was awarded the lion's share of the £127,248 handed out.

The money will be used to buy computer aided manufacturing equipment which will give pupils access to industry-standard technology - and it wont just be St Peter's pupils who benefit.

Mr Walker said: "We are the only school in the county that got funding and were supported by Bradwell Power Station in our application. The new equipment will make a big difference to teaching and it will improve the speed and quality at which pupils can produce things.

"We will also be working with primary schools so they can do more technology within their classrooms.

"They could make 2D designs using computers which they can then send electronically for us to make."

Mr Walker said the equipment could be particularly beneficial to the Dengie Peninsula as many of the area's marine-based companies use the same techniques.

He said: "There is a community element - hopefully it will enable us to forge links with businesses which use this sort of technology.

"Some firms may want to use it, and working closely with businesses could allow pupils hoping to go into similar fields of work getting more of an insight into what it involves."

Mr Walker added the funding could help the bid for specialist status in technology - due to be submitted in October after the first application failed last month.

He said: "This will put us on the next step up in terms of technology lessons and the support we can give primary schools so we'll be in a much stronger position."