It may not have been the Olympic Stadium but schoolchildren encouraged young athletes as they performed at the opening ceremony of a competition.

Year 5 pupils from Vaughan Primary School, in The Gardens, Harrow, took to the big stage as they performed at the opening ceremony of the London Youth Games at Crystal Palace.

Donning glittery dresses, cowboy hats and saris, the pupils showed off their countless hours of rehearsals in a routine that celebrated the last nine years of performances from the school.

After treading the boards twice during the day-long festival, they had a chance to see the rest of the opening ceremony including rugby player Maggie Alphonsi and GB sprinter Dina Asher-Smith.

Later Meggie Alphonsi came to speak to the schoolchildren and they had the opportunity to take a photo with her.

Kalpana Sangani, who organised the dance, said: “Children enjoyed performing twice and had a fantastic day.

“They also took part in salsa workshop organised by ' Shake It Out ' organisers which they enjoyed thoroughly.”