Schools in Nottinghamshire
Notes for Teachers
2016
The Queen’s 90th Birthday
On 21st April 2016, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will become 90 years of age.
This pack is intended for use by teachers, and is supported by a similar pack
produced for pupils of Primary School age.
These packs set out some information about The Queen, her reign, and the events
marking her 90th birthday. They also set out some suggested questions and activities
which schools may choose to use with students in the time leading up to the
celebrations. Schools may also like to mark the event with their own celebrations, or
use the anniversary for special projects as part of the curriculum. Some suggestions
are provided at the end of this pack.
The Queen has a personal representative in each county in the United Kingdom,
called Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant. The Lord-Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire is Sir
John Peace. These packs have been produced by the Lord-Lieutenant’s office in
partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council.
Events
The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration will take place in the private grounds of
Windsor Castle in the evenings of 12th – 15th May 2016. The Party will be a
celebration of the Queen’s life. It will be made up of over 90 minutes, 900 horses and
more than 1,500 people from around the UK and the World. It will take us on a 90year journey from the excitement of her birth, through to World War Two, her
marriage, her coronation and the reign of more than 60 years as Queen. The
celebration will use horse, actors, bands and dancers to tell the story. It will be
hosted by Ant and Dec.
Friday 10 June The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend a National
Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Saturday 11 June Her Majesty, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will
attend The Queen’s Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade.
Sunday 12 June The Queen will attend the Patron’s Lunch, a celebration of Her
Majesty’s patronage of over 600 organisations in the UK and around the
Commonwealth since 1952.
Sample Questions for Teaching
Set out below are some questions that might be used for teaching pupils about The
Queen and her 90th birthday. Much of the material is drawn from Vernon Bogdanor’s
book, “The Monarchy and the Constitution”, published by Oxford University Press.
His invaluable input to both questions and answers is gratefully acknowledged.
2
Primary School Age
Questions & Teaching Aid
Have you ever seen the Queen? In real life or on the television?
What about the Royal Wedding in 2011? Or one of the Christmas broadcasts?
Have you ever seen the Queen’s Christmas broadcast on television? What
kinds of things does she say?
She talks about a time to think about and reflect on the past year; reflecting on big
events in the life of the nation and the Commonwealth.
Do you know when and how she became Queen?
Elizabeth II became Queen on 6 February 1952. Being Queen is hereditary. The
Queen became Queen because she was her father’s eldest child. Her father was
King George VI. She became Queen automatically when her father died – she had
no choice.
What do you think the Queen does?
The Queen is our Head of State. All countries have a Head of State. Sometimes
the Head of State is a powerful politician, like the President of America and the
President of France. Sometimes the Head of State is an impartial figurehead, like
the Queen, the President of Germany and the President of Italy. The role of the
Head of State is to represent the nation – and they can often do so better when
they are not politicians.
As Head of State, the Queen has three roles: Constitutional (e.g. making appointments), Ceremonial (e.g. public engagements) and Symbolic representation of
the nation (e.g. visiting foreign countries).
As Head of State, the Queen only ever acts on the advice of her elected government, but she remains responsible for many formalities. For example, every Act of
Parliament and international treaty needs Her assent, but she gives that assent on
the advice of the government not on her own decision. Although The Queen has
no power, she continues to have the right ‘to be consulted, to advise, and to warn’
and sees the Prime Minister in private each week.
Every five years, a general election determines the composition of the House of
Commons. The Queen appoints the Leader of the political party with the biggest
number of MPs as her Prime Minister.
The Queen has developed her own separate role as Head of Nation. In this role
she has 4 tasks:
• To interpret the nation to itself (e.g. Christmas broadcast)
• To provide a reassuring symbol of stability in changing times (e.g. Remembrance Sunday)
• Recognising achievement and success
• Supporting service (e.g. honours, garden parties, visits across the UK)
3
Do you know what the National Anthem is?
‘God Save the Queen’ (or King) is our National Anthem. All nations have their own.
The words of the first verse of our National Anthem are:
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen:
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen!
The National Anthem includes the line ‘Long to reign over us’. Do you know
what the word ‘reign means’?
The Queen ‘reigns’, but she does not rule, because she does not govern the
country – the Prime Minister governs the country.
Do you know the names of any of the other Kings and Queens we have had?
Do you know what they did?
Relate this to other areas they may have covered in history.
How much do you know about the Queen’s family?
The Queen’s husband is Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Their eldest son, Prince Charles, will be the next King of England.
He has two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Prince William is called the Duke of Cambridge, and he is married to the Duchess
of Cambridge. You might know her better as Kate Middleton. They have two children – Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) also have three more children: Ann (known as the Princess Royal) Andrew (known as the Duke of York) and
Edward (known as The Earl of Wessex).
Would you like to meet the Queen? What would you say to her if you met
her?
How do you think we should celebrate the Queen’s birthday?
4
Secondary School Age
Questions & Teaching Aid
Do you know when the Queen came to the throne? What are the main ‘landmarks’ of her reign?
Elizabeth II became the Queen on 6 February 1952. Being Queen is hereditary.
The Queen became Queen because she was her father’s eldest child. Her father
was King George VI. She became Queen automatically when her father died – she
had no choice.
Landmarks could be divided into those directly involving the Queen, or brought
about through her development of the role of Head of Nation, during her reign,
and those which would have happened without any involvement of hers.
What do you think the Queen does? How does she spend her day?
The Queen is our Head of State. All countries have a Head of State. Sometimes
the Head of State is a powerful politician, like the President of America and the
President of France. Sometimes the Head of State is an impartial figurehead, like
the Queen, the President of Germany and the President of Italy. The role of the
Head of State is to represent the nation – and they can often do so better when
they are not politicians.
The Queen has developed her own separate role as Head of Nation. In this role
she has 4 tasks:
•
•
•
•
To interpret the nation to itself (e.g. Christmas broadcast)
To provide a reassuring symbol of stability in changing times (e.g. Remembrance Sunday)
Recognising achievement and success
Supporting service (e.g. honours, garden parties, visits across the UK)
The Queen is also Patron of around 600 charities. Her favourite personal interest
is breeding and racing horses.
Do you know when the monarchy began? Was Britain ever a republic?
The monarchy as we know it today began in 1066. Before this, Britain was a heptarchy, which meant that the country was divided into 7 different kingdoms. When
William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he was declared King of
England – creating one monarchy.
In the 1640s we had a Civil War in Britain. The King was executed in 1649, and for
a short time there was a republic in Britain. But this did not work well, and the monarchy was brought back in 1660. A few years later, in 1669, there was a further,
quieter revolution when it was established that the monarch had to be a Protestant
(not a Catholic), and largely gave up the right to rule in return for the right to reign.
5
Do you know who the monarch is for Canada? Or Australia?
Canada and Australia are both ‘constitutional monarchies’, like the UK. Our Queen
is also their queen. Her Majesty is separately Queen of each country, she just
doesn’t live there.
Her position as Head of State of other countries has been granted by those countries themselves. It is their preference, not hers. Her role in each country will vary.
Rather than leading to conflict, surely this is more likely to prevent it.
Do you know what the Commonwealth is? The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth – do you know what that means?
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of free and independent states with
equal rights. This evolved from the British Empire, with successive countries becoming self-governing. George VI changed from being Head of an Empire (Emperor in all but name) to being Head of the Commonwealth to allow India, as a
newly created republic, to remain in membership.
Nearly all have elected to stay in this loose association, giving each other mutual
support and as a forum where mutual interests can be pursued, and common policies formed and adopted. The Commonwealth exists for the mutual support of its
members.
Some members are Constitutional Monarchies under our Queen, some monarchies in their own right, and some republics. The Queen is the representative
Head of the Commonwealth. She attends all major Commonwealth Conferences,
and lends her support to it continuing to perform a useful role and remain in harmony.
What is the relationship between the monarchy and the government? Between the Queen and the Prime Minister?
As Head of State, the Queen only ever acts on the advice of her elected government, but she remains responsible for many formalities. For example, every Act of
Parliament and international treaty needs Her assent, but she gives that assent on
the advice of government not on her own decision. Although the Queen has no
power, she continues to have the right ‘to be consulted, to advise and to warn’,
and so sees the Prime Minister in private every week.
Every five years, a general election determines the composition of the House of
Commons. The Queen appoints the Leader of the political party with the biggest
number of MPs as her Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and his Ministerial colleagues govern the country, but only with the support of the elected House of
Commons.
The Queen and the Prince of Wales act as patrons of many charitable organisations. Do you know the names of any of them? What charities do you think
they should support? Is there anything else you think they should be doing?
The members of the Royal Family have roles in about 3,000 charities. The Queen
is patron of around 600, including the Royal British Legion, Royal College of Nursing, and Cancer Research UK.
6
Do you know about the Queen’s family?
The Queen’s husband is Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Their eldest son, Prince Charles, is the heir to the throne. He used to be married to
Lady Diana Spencer, and she is the mother of his children. Upon marriage, she
became known as the Princess of Wales. She died in 1997. Prince Charles is
known as the Prince of Wales, and his second wife, Camilla, is known as the
Duchess of Cornwall.
He has two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Prince William is known as the Duke of Cambridge, and he is married to the Duchess of Cambridge. You might know her better as Kate Middleton. They have two
children – Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) also have three more children: Ann (known as the Princess Royal) Andrew (known as the Duke of York) and
Edward (known as The Earl of Wessex).
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Sixth Form Age
Questions & Teaching Aid
What is a constitutional monarchy? What are the differences between this
system and a republic?
Some of the differences between a constitutional monarchy and a republic include:
• Constitutional monarchy features a hereditary monarch who functions as
the Head of State. In a republic, the Head of State is elected by the eligible
citizens of the state. This Head of State selection method is a key difference
• Constitutional monarchies have a division between the governing body and
the ruling body
• In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is sovereign. In a democratic republic, the people remain sovereign
• In a republic, the Head of State has the power to make all decisions. In a
constitutional monarchy, the Head of State has only the limited powers
granted to the limited powers granted to them by the constitution
Why has constitutional monarchy taken such strong root in Britain?
Perhaps most important, a constitutional monarchy settles beyond any argument
who is Head of State, and this is placed beyond any political competition. As such,
the monarch can represent and be a focal point for the whole nation. Allied to this
must be the dedication shown by successive Kings and Queens to this role. It was
a long time ago now, but we should not forget that we did have a short republic,
but soon reverted to monarchy.
What is the relationship between the Queen and her government?
The Queen is our Head of State. All countries have a Head of State. Sometimes
the Head of State is a powerful politician, like the President of America and the
President of France. Sometimes, the Head of State is an impartial figurehead, like
the Queen, the President of Germany and the President of Italy. The role of the
Head of State is to represent the nation – and they can often do so better when
they are not politicians.
Every five years, a general election determines the composition of the House of
Commons. The Queen appoints the Leader of the political party with the biggest
number of MPs as Her Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and his Ministerial colleagues govern the country, but only with the support of the elected House of
Commons.
As Head of State, the Queen only ever acts on the advice of her elected government, but she remains responsible for many formalities. For example, every Act of
Parliament and international treaty needs her assent, but she gives that assent on
the advice of Government not on her own decision.
The Queen sees the Prime Minister for around an hour every Wednesday when
they are both in London. These meetings are confidential, but the Queen can give
the Prime Minister her views on government policy. She must of course preserve
her political neutrality. But, nevertheless, it has been said that the Queen has three
rights: ‘the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn’. She
continues to have these rights, although she has no power.
8
Do you think this is right? Should the Queen have any political powers?
The Queen is also the Queen of 15 other constitutional monarchies, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Do you think that this could give
rise to conflict? Should Australia, Canada and New Zealand have their own
resident heads of state?
Canada, Australia and New Zealand are constitutional monarchies like the UK.
The Queen is separately queen of each country – she just doesn’t live there.
Her position as Head of State of other countries has been granted by those countries themselves. It is their preference, not hers. Her role in each country will vary.
Rather than leading to conflict, is this not more likely to prevent it?
The Queen is also Head of the Commonwealth. What does that mean? Do
you think that the Commonwealth is a valuable body?
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of free and independent states with
equal rights. This evolved from the British Empire, with successive countries becoming self-governing. George VI changed from being Head of an Empire (Emperor in all but name) to being Head of the Commonwealth to allow India, as a
newly created republic, to remain in membership.
Nearly all have elected to remain in this loose association, giving each other mutual support and as a forum where mutual interests can be pursued, and common
policies formed and adopted. The Commonwealth exists for the mutual support of
its members. Some members are Constitutional Monarchies under our Queen,
some are Monarchies in their own right, and some are republics.
The Queen is the representative Head of the Commonwealth. She attends all major Commonwealth Conferences, and lends her support to it continuing to perform
a useful role and remain in harmony.
The Queen has a special relationship with the Church of England. She is Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Do you know what this means?
The Queen has to be a member of the Church of England – a Christian Protestant
church. She is its Supreme Governor by an Act of Parliament.
Supreme Governor is a title established under the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland. Under that Act, the monarch is Supreme Governor of both the Church of
England and the Church of Scotland, and required to ‘maintain and preserve [both]
inviolably’. As Supreme Governor, the sovereign must be ‘in communion’ with the
Church of England and, in the coronation, swears to maintain it. She appoints, on
the advice of the Prime Minister, Archbishops, Bishops and Deans of the Church
of England. Both Churches, having been singled out by statute, are said to be ‘established’.
9
Many people in Britain belong to other religions and denominations – some
do not believe in religion at all. Does the Queen’s role give the Church of
England a privileged status? Is that right? Can it be justified by history?
The Church of England is in a privileged position compared to other churches and
faiths. However, the degree to which sovereign or Parliament involve themselves
in its governance has been dramatically reduced over the years. Indeed, the
Prince of Wales has said that he would like his coronation to be an inter-faith occasion with other faiths participating. Many Acts of Parliament on equalities, especially the Human Rights Act 1998, ensure that those other faiths can practice that
faith.
When church membership and attendance was almost universal, it was much
more important that the monarch be seen as an active member of the Church of
England: it was another means by which the majority of the nation felt united. As
church attendance has dropped, and other faiths have become much more common, this may be less true in the future.
The Queen is Head of State. What does this mean? She is also Head of the
Nation? What does this mean? Are the two roles compatible?
All countries have a Head of State, whether they are powerful politicians like in
America or France, or impartial figureheads like in Germany, Italy and the Queen.
The role of the Head of State is to protect the nation.
There are three roles as Head of State:
•
•
•
Constitutional – e.g. making appointments
Ceremonial – e.g. public engagements
Symbolic representation of the nation – e.g. visiting foreign countries
As Head of State, everything reports to the Queen: it is ‘Her Majesty’s Government’ and the ‘Royal Navy’ – even ‘Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’.
The Queen has also developed her own separate role as Head of Nation. In this
role she has 4 tasks:
•
•
•
•
To interpret the nation to itself – e.g. the Christmas broadcast
To provide a reassuring symbol of stability in changing times – e.g. Remembrance Sunday
Recognising achievement and success
Supporting service
10
What do you think are the main landmarks of the Queen’s reign? How will
she be remembered by history?
Landmarks could be divided into those directly involving the Queen, or brought
about through her development of the role of Head of Nation during her reign, and
those which have happened without any involvement of hers.
She will be remembered as an admired leader of the nation. Her achievements in
helping steer a peaceful and smooth transformation from vestiges of Empire to the
Commonwealth we know today, will live on in history. Her role should not be underestimated. Our history of peaceful devolution of colonial power is admired by
many other former colonial powers.
It has been said that the Queen’s reign has seen a transition from a magical
monarchy to a welfare monarchy. What does this mean? Do you agree with
this view?
‘Magical’ refers to the sense that the monarchy was remote and unapproachable.
‘Welfare’ relates to the view that the monarchy now seeks to involve itself with society and support and enhance the life of the whole nation.
This evolution could be judged as the most remarkable achievement of our Queen.
She has brought it about, nobody else. And if she had not wished it to be so, it
would not have happened. This is of course a matter for debate!
11
Suggested Celebration Events
There are several things that schools can do to mark the event of the Queen’s 90th
birthday. Some suggestions include:
•
A visit from one of the Deputy Lieutenants. You can arrange this by contacting
the Lord-Lieutenant’s Officer Mrs Gaynor Brown at [email protected]
•
A ‘Clean for the Queen’ litter pick. For more information about this, please visit
http://www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk/home/2365
•
Hold a quiz about the constitution
•
Younger children could have a treasure hunt
•
Competitions to design a birthday card for the Queen
•
Arts and crafts activities to create decorations for a birthday party for the
Queen
•
Explore the differences between a constitutional monarchy and different
systems of government, including:
o A republic
o An absolute monarchy
This activity will be most appropriate for Sixth Form age
•
Explore the culture of other countries in the Commonwealth. This could be
done by:
o Learning about the location and geography of these other countries
o Learning about the history of other countries
o Learning about different religions
o Learning through the different use of music in different countries to
demonstrate different cultures
•
Explore the changes which have taken place since the Queen’s birth in 1926.
This could be done by:
o Learning about important events in history
o
Showing the different clothes people have worn in different periods
since 1926
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