This week, schools across the region have celebrated the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
After a week of national mourning and reflection, schools will close on bank holiday (Monday 19 September) for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
The region reflects
Schools in the North East have paid tribute to the late monarch after her death last Thursday. With most students having celebrated the Queen this summer for the Jubilee, the impact on young people feels especially poignant.
The free commemorative books sent to each state-funded school student by the DfE are now being recommended as a way to remember the Queen rather than celebrate her Jubilee.
Many schools moved their planned open days to pay respect, with others supporting students and helping them deal with the complexities of this shared national grief.
Teesside High School, in Stockton-on-Tees, commemorated the life of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II during their whole school assembly on Monday morning. They said “we reflected on The Queen’s impressive 70-year reign and took the opportunity to pay our respects”.
Garden of Remembrance
Red House School, an independent school in Norton, extended their condolences to the royal family by visiting The Queen’s Garden of Remembrance. Head Teacher at Red House School, Dr Rebecca Ashcroft, Miss Thompson, the Head Boy, Head Girl and their deputies laid a wreath that noted ‘Thank you, Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, for your 70 years of duty, service, compassion and leadership’; signed from pupils, parents, staff, and their Board of Governors.
Dr Ashcroft commented:
“The Red House family was deeply saddened to hear of the death of The Late Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, last Thursday. In school, we have been remembering the remarkable life of The Late Queen in special assemblies on Friday and throughout this week, we held a two minute silence on Friday at midday, we laid a commemorative wreath in the Garden of Remembrance and the pupils and staff are busy creating their own Book of Condolence to send to His Majesty, King Charles III.”
Teacher Tapp reported that 2 in 3 primary schools held a special assembly the day after her passing. They also stated 1 in 4 primary teachers changed their lesson content to reflect the news.
We are watching history before our eyes as the Queen’s lying in state continues today with queues miles long. Next Monday all schools will be closed for the Funeral.
To read the full statistics from Teacher Tapp click here: https://teachertapp.co.uk/how-did-schools-mark-the-passing-of-queen-elizabeth-and-other-stories-from-the-first-week-of-term/#queen
To look back at the happy memories of the region celebrating the Platinum Jubilee click here:
We will be back next week to our regular Weekly Update format, for any other updates follow us on twitter @SchoolsNE
