Children will also be taking over many other English Heritage sites across England including Dover Castle in Kent, Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, and Kenwood House in London. This is the first year that English Heritage is taking part in Takeover Day which – run by Kids in Museums – aims to give children and young people a meaningful and powerful role in museums and heritage sites.

At Stonehenge, local students from Stonehenge School and Avon Valley College will be getting hands on at the most famous prehistoric monument in the world. They will be conducting tours at the stones, explaining Neolithic artefacts in the museum at the Stonehenge visitor centre, and showing off the Neolithic Houses to visitors from around the world. They will be developing a new KS2 activity for school visits and delivering it to a group of primary school children at the monument that morning.

Kian Ayers, a Year 8 student from Stonehenge School, said: “It was great fun being down at the monument and checking the stones - up close, they are enormous! On Friday, I’ll be working in the Neolithic houses and am really looking forward to showing people how our ancestors lived.”

Kate Mavor, English Heritage’s Chief Executive, said: “Takeover Day is a fantastic initiative and a great opportunity to not only show what our heritage can offer children but to give us grown-ups an important child’s-eye-view on our historic buildings and monuments. That’s why on Friday we’re putting young people in charge at some of our greatest sites including Stonehenge.”

Philip Mould, Kids in Museums President, Broadcaster and Author, added: ‘This Friday over 3500 young people are going to be at right at the heart of museums. For many of them, it will be their first experience of a museum. For all of them, it will be empowering and eye-opening, learning about museums from the inside. Young people are the heartbeat of the arts – they contribute fresh ideas and new perspectives. Takeover Day is about further encouraging the pivotal contribution that they make.’

Earlier in the year, English Heritage appointed its first ever Child Executive Officer – Thea Hunt – and a special roundtable of children to lead its Kids Takeover season and to bring to life The English Heritage History Wish List which included ‘Kids Only’ Stone Circle Visits at Stonehenge.

Takeover Day is linked to the Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Challenge, involving all sectors, and championed by Kids in Museums. To find out more, visit kidsinmuseums.org.uk/takeoverday/ or follow @takeovermuseums #TakeoverDay