On a rainy Friday, 14 November, a group of Year 10 students accompanied by Mr Walters, Mr Peters and Ms Burden travelled to the Houses of Parliament. The coach dropped us off at Whitehall. This enabled us to view the Cenotaph, still covered in poppy wreaths from Remembrance Sunday, and the entrance to Downing Street. We also spent some time viewing the statues in Parliament Square and listening to the chimes of Big Ben.

After security checks, we were taken on a tour of Parliament, including the old Westminster Palace section. We stood above where Guy Fawkes had once been found with 36 barrels of Gunpowder and in the hall where Henry VIII had once had his palace. We also viewed various places where suffragettes had chained themselves to railings and statues as part of the campaign for women to vote. 

The House of Lords was in session and our group was allowed to spend a short period in the public gallery, listening to the debate on changing the law to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives. We were able to learn about the role played by peers and how they are often experts in fields away from politics. The House of Commons was not sitting, so we were able to go into the chamber and learn about where the government and the opposition sits, the role of the Speaker and the shape of the week in Parliament, including what it is like in there during Prime Minister’s questions. Our guide also explained how the electoral system works in the UK and about issues relating to devolution.

Finally, we took part in a workshop about Petitions and learned about how they can influence debate in parliament. Year 10 students were split into small groups and each had to come up with a petition about a certain area, such as transport or education.

After a late lunch we then travelled home. The students on the trip conducted themselves brilliantly throughout and staff were very impressed with some of the questions asked and answered during the day.

Ms Burden, Lead for Aspiration and Enterprise