Roads were closed off as nearly 500 children led a procession through Hackney dressed as lion tamers and lions, jugglers, clowns and fire eaters.

Hackney Gazette: Children of Princess May Primary School, Stoke Newington, celebrate a circus day in the street.Children of Princess May Primary School, Stoke Newington, celebrate a circus day in the street. (Image: Archant)

The youngsters from Princess May Primary School were escorted by police as they made their way down Barretts Grove and Princess May Road in Stoke Newington for an end of year celebration with a circus theme.

Hackney Gazette: Children of Princess May Primary School, Stoke Newington, celebrate a circus day in the street.Children of Princess May Primary School, Stoke Newington, celebrate a circus day in the street. (Image: Archant)

The carnival and international day has been a fixture for the last six years on the calendar of the school, which recently had its Ofsted rating upgraded from unsatisfactory to good.

“The kids absolutely love it,” said deputy head, Jackie Benjamin.

“They get really excited, we had some wonderful outfits and the head teacher was dressed as a clown.”

The celebrations extended into the evening, where a fashion show was held to celebrate all the nationalities of children within the school, where 43 different languages are spoken and about 65% of children speak English as a second language.

Children of all ages choreographed their own dances, with performances from Turkish, African and samba dancers and music from steel pan players.

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