Students were taught about the importance of codebreaking when an enigma machine was brought to their school.

Staff from Bletchley Park – the site where the enigma code was cracked during the Second World War – visited the Reach Free School, in Northwood, on November 24.

The pupils explored mathematical encryption and encoding techniques and took part in a code breaking challenge.

Soria Sediqi, a year 10 pupil, said: “I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the night before. It was incredible and we are so lucky.

“I would love to have job like this.”

The workshop gave children the chance to see a genuine Enigma machine and learn about its design and role in the war.

Head of mathematics Collette Bridge Madden said: “This was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience for our pupils.”