Extra holiday lets children celebrate Platinum Jubilee

Schoolchildren will get an extra holiday weekend for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. To mark the monarch’s 70th year on the throne, Friday June 3 has been declared a bank holiday.

The spring bank holiday, usually at the end of May, has been shifted to June 2 to extend the break.

Schools in some local authority areas, however, will have slightly different holidays.

Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross Council schools will all be closed on Thursday June 2 and Friday June 3.

Fife Council schools will close on Friday June 3 and Monday June 6.

The additional two-day holiday will give schoolchildren a four-day long weekend at the start of next month.

Unless you are heading to London to join in the celebrations in person, you will be able to watch some of they key events on television, as they will be broadcast by the BBC.

Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s official birthday parade, will end with an RAF flypast watched by the royal family from Buckingham Palace’s balcony on June 2.

On the same day, 1,500 beacons will be lit across the UK and in Commonwealth countries.

A live concert will be held in front of the palace on June 4, and on June 5 the Platinum Jubilee Pageant performance will tell the story of the Queen’s reign.

Details of celebrations being held across the country, including street parties and lunches, are being posted on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee website.

Locally these include a 5k run and family mile in Perth, a picnic in the park in Kinross and a parade and beacon lighting service in Levenmouth.

Details of local events for the Big Jubilee Lunch can be found online.

Later in June, the Platinum Jubilee Youth Spectacular will be hosted by television presenter Stephen Mulhern in Kelty.

In a newly-created arena at the St Ninians former opencast coal site on June 18 and 19, the show will feature the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, The Imps motorbike display team and musical and dance performances by young people.

“The spring bank holiday has been shifted to June 2

SCHOOL’S OUT: The additional two-day holiday will give children a four-day long weekend at the start of next month.