JUBILEE jubilations are set to start early in the region's schools as pupils and teachers come to the end of another half-term.

Picnics, parties, presents and parades are all lined up for children who have been hard at work over the last few weeks.

Staff also hope that they will give the pupils something to remember, in the same way that older generations recall the street parties of the Silver Jubilee.

At Tang Hall Primary School, in York, acting head teacher Nigel Smith, who has had his hair cut in a 1950s short back and sides style for charity, said there would be a sing-song, picnic lunch and staff-pupil netball match on Friday.

He said: "It is just a way of helping children to be aware that it is happening. A lot of children have very little awareness of royalty, of what the Queen does and of what her responsibilities are.

"We talked to children about it and they really had little in terms of background knowledge. It's also because 25 years ago we did a very similar thing."

Park Grove Primary School is holding a street party in Dudley Street, next to the school in the Groves, York, and children will be invited to dress up in red, white and blue.

Head teacher Andrew Calverley said: "When we had a special assembly for the Queen Mother's funeral, they knew who the royal family were, but didn't fully understand all the relationships. They think of them in the same way as they think of top politicians, someone they see in the newspaper. We had quite a successful street party in 1995 for the school centenary and it's part of our philosophy that we want them to leave Park Grove and remember this. We want them to say 'I can remember our street party' and the experience of going out there."

Updated: 09:06 Wednesday, May 29, 2002