Primary school pupils found a surprise waiting for them when they returned to school after lockdown to find they were being given laptops.

Snettisham-based charity the Hall's Exhibition Foundation has given a £9,000 grant to the village primary school to buy 26 devices.

The foundation was established after the closure of the Hall's Grammar School in 2014 to support the educational needs of people aged between 11 and 25 who live in the village.

“We approached the Hall’s Trust after realising that many families simply didn’t have the number of devices required to easily manage home learning. Our aim was to prevent families being digitally excluded,” said Louise Jackson, executive head teacher of 98-pupil Snettisham Primary.

“We knew that even though we had loaned equipment and devices, many families still shared one laptop or mobile phone. As the charity supports people 11 and above, we were hoping for a small donation towards the older pupils in the school, so to get this much from them is amazing, and will make a real difference to the lives of so many children.”

Snettisham Primary is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, which runs 11 schools in the borough, and Ms Jackson said the donation would not just help current pupils but those in years to come.

Returning to school after so long away could take some getting used to, but Ms Jackson said the new additions to the classroom would help everyone get back into the swing of things.

“The children and their families have worked so hard at home, it will be wonderful to have them back,” she said. “We’ve really missed having them, so these will be a fantastic welcome back present.”

he Hall's Exhibition Foundation has its origins in the legacy of Antony Hall, Yeoman of Snettisham, who died in 1708. He left his land and properties to set up a grammar school in the village, which took almost a century to be built and stayed open until 1914.

The foundation also owns carrstone quarries, which continue to being in income. It makes grants to individuals and local schools to promote education in and around Snettisham as its founder intended more than four centuries ago.