Pupils and staff at Stratford St Mary Primary School put on a special assembly to celebrate Paralympic champion Caroline Powell, who came to visit last week.

Caroline, 19, was the guide for Jade Etherington at this year’s Winter Paralympics in Sochi, and the skiing duo became the first Britons to win four medals in a Winter Olympics.

At the special assembly Caroline presented her silver and bronze medals for everybody to see and the children were allowed to hold them.

One of the pupils said: “It was so heavy, partly as it is made of silver, but also because of the meteor rock inside it; we also learnt that the braille around the edge described which medal it was.”

As well as attending the special assembly Caroline spent the afternoon working in the Woodpeckers Class and discussed how she used her Bluetooth headset to guide her partner Jade as the pair hurtled down a mountain at 70mph.

Caroline then awarded certificates in the school’s ‘achievement assembly’.

Headteacher Elizabeth Kumar said: “This was such a wonderful opportunity for the children; we are very proud of everything that Caroline and Jade achieved.

“To be able to hold a silver medal was a real privilege, but to hear how Caroline, at only 19, has achieved so much in her life was a real inspiration for all the children.”

Jade Etherington, from Chelmsford, has only 5% vision in both eyes, she competes in visually impaired skiing and requires a sighted guide.

She and Caroline have been skiing together since April last year after Jade put out an appeal through Facebook and competing together since August last year.