A CELEBRITY 'old boy' turned out last week to open the new computer suite at Tavistock Primary School.
Television personality and ace weatherman Craig Rich was at the school 55 years ago and remembers the end of the second world war.
Last Thursday, at the request of the children, he returned to unveil 18 new computers, all linked to the global information system.
ICT co-ordinator Jan Digweed said: 'It has given the children the opportunity to use computers at an early age and they will be able to access the Internet for a wide range of information.
'They are really enjoying e-mailing — we have children with parents abroad and they can now have daily contact with them.'
The school will have electronic 'minders' on its system restricting the sites the children might visit, but Mrs Digweed praised the children's common sense and said it was an opportunity to tackle the moral issues raised by the Internet.
Access to the uncontrolled nature of the Internet also gives the children a chance to learn to question the value of any information they access.
The Government is a keen supporter of the electronic age and provided £12,000 towards the £15,000 total through its National Grid for Learning fund. The school's parents and PTA raised the remainder, with the Post Office at Pennycomequick in Plymouth donating chairs and the Land Registry a large table. Parents also helped in preparing the room — knocking down walls and re-painting.