Upminster school designs flag for its constituency

A school has joined hundreds of others across the country to design a flag which represents their local community.

James Oglethrope Primary School in Upminster was selected by Dame Angela Watkinson, the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Hornchurch and Upminster, to take on the creative challenge.

This year the Houses of Parliament are celebrating two historic anniversaries – the 800th year of the sealing of the Magna Carta and the 750th anniversary of the Simon de Montfort parliament.

The latter was the first time that elected representatives from every county and major town in England were invited to Parliament.

James Oglethorpe’s acting deputy head, Paula Sewell, said: “This was a fascinating event for the children to learn more about our local history as we drew inspiration from images from around the constituency.”

Pupils throughout the school used traditional flag-making rules, looking at standard colours, shapes and emblems.

Finally, Year 5 and 6 children competed to produce the winning flag design which includes a plane representing RAF Hornchurch, home to The Fighter Command’s Group 11 during the Second World War.