Almost one million school children across the UK will today receive their very own micro computer thanks to a “landmark” BBC initiative.

Every Year 7 student in England and Wales, Year 8 student in Northern Ireland and S1 student in Scotland will be handed, for free, a BBC micro:bit computer specially designed to help pupils learn to code.

The pocket-sized micro:bit is part of the BBC’s Make it Digital initiative, and aims to get schoolchildren and teachers alike of all abilities learn the basics of making computer programs by teaching them to code.

The initiative follows on from the BBC’s Micro programme that was introduced in the 1980s, and sees a partnership between the BBC and some of the world’s most notable technology companies such as ARM, Microsoft, and Samsung.