Construction work officially got underway yesterday on a new primary school for north Colchester.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new 420-place school on the former Severalls Hospital off Via Urbis Romanae.

The £7.1million academy, which will be run by sponsor REAch2, is due to open in September 2016.

Yesterday it was revealed the school will be called Camulos Academy, chosen by the sponsor to reflect the town’s Roman heritage.

The project is being funded by developer contributions and Essex County Council funding.

Once complete, it will include 14 classrooms, as well as two school halls and staff facilities.

Ray Gooding, Essex county councillor for education, said: “As a council we are planning to spend about £164.5million over the next four years on creating new school places across Essex.

“We recognise Colchester is one of the county’s fastest growing towns and are committed to ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to cater for the town’s needs.

“This particular project has been a long time in the planning and I am delighted that construction work will soon be underway.”

Steve Lancashire, chief executive of REAch2, added: “We are delighted to be working so closely with Essex County Council to establish a brand new primary school that will offer an outstanding education to children in the north Colchester area.

“There are already five REAch2 academies in Essex and we look forward to extending the family through the creation of this new school.”