Talented Harrogate pupils' designs to be displayed at Tower of London for King’s Coronation

Historic Royal Palaces has announced that Dacre Braithwaite C of E Primary School is one of only 15 schools to have been selected from more than 1,500 entries across the UK as part of the build-up to the coronation of Charles III on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.

The national competition to celebrate the Coronation has seen schoolchildren across Britain creating designs inspired by the values and symbols that they wish to define the new era.

The winning benches were selected by a panel of judges at the Tower of London, including representatives from Historic Royal Palaces, Kids in Museums, Young V&A and the Group for Education in Museums.

The Summerbridge-based school’s Coronation Bench will now go on display at the Tower of London, the home of the Crown Jewels and a site that has seen many Coronations in its long history.

Pupils will also enjoy a VIP class trip to visit the Tower of London and see their benches in situ after they have been installed during the first week of May.

The benches will remain at the Tower throughout the Coronation celebrations for everyone to enjoy before being gifted back to the schools as a permanent reminder of this historic year.

Ceri Fox, Senior Learning Producer at Historic Royal Palaces, said: "Selecting just 15 winners from so many great submissions was tough.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the students and their benches to the Tower of London this summer.”

Caroline Marcus, Chair of the Group for Education in Museums (GEM), said: "The high quality of work submitted from children and young people across the UK made it a very difficult decision for the judges.”

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) – the independent charity that cares for the Tower of London – has developed a collection of teaching resources to support schools across the country as they mark this historic moment.

Coronation regalia from its collection has inspired many of the winning bench designs.