A PRIMARY school is to start a new life as an 'eco centre' in January and become a trailblazing centre for environmental education.

From next year, ecology and the environment will be high on the agenda at Esh Winning Primary School, when the Esh Winning Eco (EWE) Centre springs into life.

The centre, in the school grounds, will be staffed by six employees from the School Grounds Project and the agency Waste Wise.

Waste Wise will eventually be running a regional training centre, allowing schools and other visitors to learn about outdoor education for children aged between three and 11.

The school in Esh Winning, near Durham, is one of 20 in Northern England to pilot the initiative for the Government.

As part of the initiative, land surrounding the primary school will be renovated and classed as "exemplar school grounds."

It will have a sensory area, which will be especially useful for children with special needs.

There will be a wildlife zone, where insects and other small creatures can be seen.

Other facilities include a maze, a recycling area, livestock area, an arts zone and developmental climbing areas.

The school made a bid for money for the EWE centre from the Learning Through Landscapes fund, set up by the Department for Education and Skills.