SCHOOLCHILDREN had a royally good time as they took control of a palace for the day.

Around 30 year-nine students from Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) took on a variety of responsibilities around Brighton’s Royal Pavilion and learnt its history.

The national Takeover Day event saw museums, galleries and arts organisations up and down the country being run by youngsters.

PACA pupil Daniella Birchley, 13, is from Mile Oak.

She said: “It has been really great fun. I have been doing some marketing which is good to learn about.

“We walked around with Ipads taking photographs of the museum for the marketing team to use.

“I have been to the museum before and I think I will be coming again.”

Pupils took calls in the booking office, shadowed staff on the Royal Pavilion floor and ran pop-up talks for other visitors in the museum’s music room.

They were also tasked with organising stock in the Royal Pavilion shop, taking photographs of the site for the museum’s social media pages and packing artefacts to conservation standards.

They also attended a meeting to advise staff on how to best appeal to young people.

Joe Southam, 14, from Brighton, said: “I really like the main part of the building, like the long hallways and seeing all the objects used by King George IV.

“I do like history and visiting places like this brings it to life.

“It makes you wonder whether the king actually sat in some of the chairs here or used other parts of the museum and that sort of thing.”

The museums teamed up with Arts Council England to take children and teenagers for the day.

For more details and to get involved next year visit kidsinmuseums.org.uk/takeoverday.