The 135 pupils at Heworth CE School took on roles including shadowing the head teacher, Dave Brown, answering phones in the school office and helping teachers and teaching assistants with their work.

It was all part of 11 Million Takeover Day a national initiative run by Children’s Commissioner Sir Al Aynsley-Green.

Assistant head teacher, Sian Ellis, said: “It’s been a real success, because the kids have organised it through the school council, and they have come up with the ideas.

“Last year some of our pupils shadowed Coun Carol Runciman so we wanted to take part in the event for a second year and this year our school has been running events all week.”

Meanwhile, Coun Runciman, the council’s executive member for children and young people’s services, spent time explaining how she makes decisions that affect the lives of young people in the city addressing pupils from Carr Junior School and Joseph Rowntree School as part of the event.