PUPILS at this school have well and truly entered into the spirit of celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate at Thorpe Underwood, kicked off celebrations before half term with a whole school Platinum Jubilee Picnic, bringing together students and staff to celebrate.

QE Kitchen, Queen Ethelburga’s catering team, created and produced 1,700 Jubilee picnic boxes for the occasion which contained a special QE Platinum Jubilee cupcake.

The cupcake was designed as part of a Collegiate wide competition, and won by two students from Chapter House, QE’s Early Years and Prep School. Joey R in Year 2 and Fleur F-B in Year 5 saw a combination of their winning designs come to life.

All students and staff gathered together on The Hub, at the heart of the school campus, and enjoyed entertainment from the Jonny Ross band.

At the end of the week, QE’s youngest children from Chapter House took part in running a ‘Jubilee Mile’, fundraising for The British Red Cross, with £760 raised so far.

The celebrations have extended into half term, with many of QE’s boarders choosing to stay on site for a special Jubilee ‘Best of British’ themed week.

The peak of the celebrations saw the historic Thorpe Underwood Hall lit up in the colours of the Union Jack flag last night (June 2), with a specially built Jubilee Beacon lit at 9.45pm.

A commemorative photo was also taken involving the boarding students on site. The Jubilee Beacon was built by staff member and Mechanic, Kris Weston, especially for the occasion.

York Press: Kris Weston, Team QE staff member, with the Jubilee BeaconKris Weston, Team QE staff member, with the Jubilee Beacon

Daniel Machin, Principal of Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, said: "One of our strongest assets here at QE is our student and staff community, and we have been delighted to bring everyone together to celebrate this historic occasion.

"Both our British and international students have enjoyed learning about the Royal Family and the significance of this occasion. The collegiate itself has a strong history of royal connections, named after Queen Ethelburga, so it is only fitting we join in the celebrations for this high-profile national event."