Bluecoat C of E Primary School is instrumental in the May Fair celebrations, with children from across the school playing their part. Whilst the day itself is given over to the community, it is a designated school day and children are required to register with their teachers in the town square. The expectation is that all children participate and benefit from all that the occasion offers.

May Fair enhances our curriculum provision in a multitude of ways and offers children the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in this rich educational and cultural experience. They learn what it means to be a good citizen, being respectful of the young and old alike. They learn traditional country and maypole dances which are performed to the community. The May Fair Entourage put an incredible amount of time and effort into preparing for the ceremonial crowning of the May Queen, becoming part of the long and esteemed history of May Fair.

How is the Entourage Selected?
May Fair fever sets in early in the year in January when the Entourage is selected.  

The Year 6 children who missed the chance to participate in 2020/2021 due to the pandemic, had positive discussions and felt strongly that the process of selecting the Entourage needed updating to become a fairer system. The film below (A Fairer May Fair) documents the developments. In response to the requests from the children, a new role was introduced to the Entourage - the May Prince (Standard Bearer) - who joins the May Queen, Crowner, Heralds and Attendants. 

Alongside this, the voting process was updated and Year 6 girls are now required to write a personal statement explaining why they would like to be May Queen. The statements are then shared anonymously and voted on across the school,  and the one with the most votes becomes May Queen with the runner-up becoming her Crowner. Similarly, the Year 6 boys who wish to be considered for May Prince (Standard Bearer) & Heralds also write statements which are then voted on. All votes are verified by the Mayor. 

The girls in Year 3 that wish to be Attendants are paired up by height and four pairs are drawn by the Mayor. 

Children in Reception and Year 1 commence the May Fair proceedings with a short service in the town square where they sing songs specially rehearsed for the occasion. Children in Year 2 dance the Floral Dance and then form the Guard of Honour for the grand entrance of the Entourage. It is at this point that the specially designed outfits worn by the Entourage reveal the theme for the day, having been chosen by the Mayor's Consort earlier in the year.

Children in Years 3 and 4 take part in the country dancing and Years 5 and 6 dance the Maypole.

All of this takes months of rehearsals and meticulous planning. A May Fair committee meets regularly to ensure that the day runs smoothly.