The year 10 and 11 More Able group enjoyed a visit to the Houses of Parliament
A picnic in the sun was very welcome after the long journey, and before a long walk. We had a tour of the iconic building, seeing both the House of Commons and the House of Lords as Parliament was not sitting that day. We learnt about the democratic process as well as some of the history of government and various politicians. Our tour guides commented on how inquisitive and engaged our pupils were.
This was followed by a workshop in the Education Centre where we learnt about the process of petitioning. Pupils could choose to petition on a subject they feel particularly passionate about, so they included changing the school curriculum to embed more life skills, for all farm animals to be free-range, making the deportation of migrants during visa applications illegal and for cheaper public transport for adults. The pupils put this learning in to action on the journey home, preparing a written petition to ask for a stop at the service station.
Sadly, their efforts were not successful as they failed to reach the required 100,000 signatures to raise a debate. I’m sure their next petition will be much more fruitful. Thank you to all of them for engaging with the activities of the day wholeheartedly and behaving impeccably, and to the Education Team for hosting us as well as assisting with funding the travel costs.