PRIMARY pupils got a right royal surprise when they received a letter from the Queen.

Year 3 students at Silver End Academy got the royal correspondence after writing to Her Majesty to inform her about the work they had been doing throughout the summer term.

The youngsters spent weeks learning all about the United Kingdom and its history during a special research project. While doing their investigations, the students learned all about the Queen and her coronation in 1953.

Along with their letter to Buckingham Palace, they sent an anniversary card to mark her time as head of state.

Having learned the national anthem as part of the project, the pupils then sang several verses to other year groups during a special presentation.

Teacher Diana Brumby said: “The children were very excited at the end of term to receive a letter from the Queen stating how thrilled she was to hear about how much effort they had put in to discover more about the United Kingdom.

“She thanked the students for supporting Armed Forces Day and expressed her pleasure at finding out they had learned to sing three verses of the national anthem.”