In Pictures: 'The children were very excited' - Pudsey Bear pays a visit to Banbury area primary school

Boddington C of E Primary Academy was one of only ten schools across the country to receive a special visit from Pudsey Bear.

The visit was organised as a surprise for the school's 45 pupils to thank them for raising £85 for Children in Need last November.

Pupils at the school raised the money by dressing up in spotted clothing to match Pudsey’s famous bandana and holding a cake sale.

Head of the school, Zoe O'Malley, said: “Every year we raise money for Children in Need, and this year we raised over £80, which for a small school is quite a lot of money.

“We were entered into a competition because of our fundraising, and we were one of only ten schools in the country to receive a visit from Pudsey Bear.

“The children were very excited to see Pudsey today; the visit was a surprise, and none of them knew he was coming. As this is such a small and rural school, we don’t often have the opportunity for visitors to come, so having Pudsey here has certainly been a highlight.”

Pudsey visited the school during its morning assembly and posed for pictures with the pupils and gave them all high fives.

At the end of the school day, Pudsey posed for pictures with the children and their parents to raise more money for Children in Need.