CAMELSDALE Primary School made history on Tuesday by becoming the first school in recent history to be made an affiliate member of The Royal Society of St George.

The key objectives of the society, which was founded in 1894, are to foster the love of England and to strengthen England and the Commonwealth by spreading the knowledge of English history, traditions and ideals.

Headteacher Sarah Palmer led a special assembly attended by Haslemere Mayor Melanie Odell, at which society chairman Joanna Cadman presented the certificate of affiliation and the society’s Haslemere branch chairman Nick Hinchliffe presented a shield, which pupils will compete for annually.

“We are delighted to be the first school for many years to be affiliated to The Royal Society of St George,” Mrs Palmer said. “It’s a great honour.

“We do celebrate St George’s Day and important national events and it’s very important both for our culture and the children to keep traditions going.

“This means we can mark key events, including the battles of Waterloo and Trafalgar, and teach the children more about them with special assemblies led by expert guest speakers from the society.

“The children love their history and this will help to develop their love of history, their country, their culture and their heritage.”