L ro R Hayes School pupils Ben Slocombe, David Smith, teacher David Looms and Nicole Easy at St Pancras station unveiling the Olympic Torch

Eight children and two teachers have been selected to take part in Olympics opening day celebrations.

The youngsters, aged 10 to 14 from Hayes School in West Common Road, Bromley, will be part of the guard of honour in the Olympic Park on July 27.

They will line the route taken by all the athletes as they travel to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony.

Hayes was chosen as an ambassador of the Games by LOCOG to unveil the 2012 Olympic torch at St Pancras station in summer 2011.

Teacher David Loom said: “I have only told the students on the school council so far and their jaws dropped. It was a huge surprise for them.

“It’s very exciting. We began doing Olympic-themed projects as far back as 2010. We felt it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the children to get involved in.

“We applied for tickets and things snowballed from there. Luckily we seem to have been noticed.”

The school is one of only 250 to be chosen to take part in the occasion, and is yet to decide how to select which pupils will take part.

The young people will carry lanterns and banners to show support for the 204 competing teams and Hayes has been chosen to show support for Lithuania.

They will also receive a tour of the Olympic Park and have dinner in the Handball Arena.

Former Olympic track cyclist Ric Evans, 57, who competed in the 1972 Munich games, visited the school on Friday and gave a talk about the values of the Games.

He said: “The children were interested in what I had to say. I told them all about the events which happened at Munich. They were really engaged and asked lots of relevant questions.”

Hayes received 238 tickets in total to the Games including football, hockey, wrestling, basketball and canoeing.