LITTLE children wore paper crowns and drank from little plastic tea cups during a party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday.

All 440 pupils from Elm Academy, on Holloway Avenue, in Bournemouth got the chance to join in the fun in the sunshine for the special occasion.

Head teacher, Jo Fish, said that the children put on a performance with one little girl dressing up as the Queen, before sitting on a bike to wave to all the other children.

She added that the pupils, aged three to 11, also sang the national anthem, made crowns and created their own stamps.

“We also had a red, white and blue theme for the whole day and the parents have really got behind it, with one making a cake in the shape of a stamp and others making food for the party. It has been nice to have everybody together.”

Asked what changes he would make if he became king, Liam Croft, 10, said: “We would have playtime and tea parties every day with crisps, biscuits and cakes.”

Meanwhile, if Sophie Hartwell, also 10, was Queen, she said she would make sure that children didn’t have to do homework.

“Instead we would have lots of free time to draw and read. Also, I would make a swimming pool at the school so that we didn’t have travel there on the minibus.”

Over at Southbourne Library, the staff were joined by around 20 members of the public featuring afternoon tea, bunting and a quiz themed around 90 facts about the monarch. Tracy Harman, manager of Southbourne Library said that the library’s own 90th party on Saturday, May 14th.

In the evening, beacons were lit in Corfe Castle in Purbeck, Sea View Point in Poole, Southbourne Overcliff Drive and Burley Park after The Queen lit the principal beacon at Windsor Castle.