On Thursday the 7th November, Year 12 Sociology students visited the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green to learn more about our theme of childhood and how it has developed over time. We were fortunate enough to have a private session with one of the museum’s curators. We were able to see portraits of children in the 17th century before and after the boys had been breached (dressed in trousers for the first time from around the age of 6). We also looked at when gender neutral toys and clothes were first introduced to society.

Following our session, we were able to look around the museum itself. We completed a series of questions to help us with future work in class. We were able to see the development of clothes, dolls houses, action figures and other educational toys over time. It was fascinating to see how different childhood was centuries ago compared to now.

It was a relevant and enjoyable trip that will now support our future sociology studies.

By Evie Pettit

The sociology trip to the childhood museum was very informative and allowed the student to see how types of toys have progressed over the years. This trip aided the students in showing what the meaning of childhood is and whether it could be seen as a social construct. Some students found it strange to see some of their childhood toys on display at the museum but this only showed how rapidly society is progressing in terms of the digitalisation of toys. In the following lesson the students discussed how the trip related to the course and some students came up with the fact that it helped us understand why people may think that childhood is a social construct. Some students also came to the conclusion that childhood may not have been enjoyable for children in earlier centuries as children were dressed as miniature adults and were painted in that fashion. Overall, the trip was highly informative and many of the students agreed on the fact that the trip would be an amazing contemporary example to be used in their A Level examinations.

By Alaina Nwosa

On last week’s sociology trip to Bethnal Green – The Museum of Childhood – we were given an interesting talk by the curator of the museum, about the evolution of childhood toys and how they are stereotypical. We learnt that the marketing of the toys were stereotyped as blue for boys and pink for girls as a way to brand their products and sell more. After the talk we were assigned a task which entailed sorting a range of boys’ and girls’ toys which in fact proved harder than you may think and by the end of the talk we were very informed on the progression of childhood and how toys have played an instrumental part in the evolution of childhood.

By Luke Gibson and Morgan Peacock  

On Friday 27th September, our Year 12 Government and Politics class visited the Houses of Parliament. We went on a fabulous (and very informative) tour, during which we saw the House of Commons and the Lords, the voting lobby for MPs, Westminster Abbey, central lobby, and many more fascinating rooms in Parliament.

We also learned about the history of Parliament, the day-to-day running of Westminster, and the importance of the role of the Speaker of the House of Commons. Our lovely tour guides were great and answered our many questions!

We then attended a law making and debating workshop, where we learnt the fundamental rules for carrying out a proper, democratic debate. We also learned about the process in which laws are made and changed. Two speakers (one an ex-Presdales student) talked to us about their roles in Parliament, and the vast job opportunities the House of Commons and Parliament offer, such as Select Committee assistants, IT and graphics/creative consultants, education branches, and, of course, MPs!

It was a very inspiring and interesting trip, and we all feel we walked away from it knowing so much more about how our government and Parliament works. Thank you to Mr Spurgeon and Ms Chandler for organising the trip and navigating the tube with us!

“Within the trip we had a debating workshop, were we learned how they debate in the House of Commons. I got the privilege to be the speaker of the house. In this role I decided who could speak next and when it got too loud to say ‘order, order’. The workshop was amazing, as it taught us how to structure a debate, to make sure everyone’s voices are heard” Katy Higham

“It was a great atmosphere, especially considering the current political climate” Grace Richards

“The workshop we did on law making & debating was really interesting and the career paths available in Parliament seem like amazing opportunities” Connie Marshall

“There were little bits of history everywhere we went. Seeing the MPs’ voting lobbies and being able to walk down them was fascinating” Jamie Parker

“It was really interesting to see it all in real life” Connie Robinson

“We learned loads about the complex history of Parliament, and seeing all the possible careers there really opened our eyes to what Parliament does” Safia Sipi

One student Meg Sleath said this about the workshop, “I thought it was really interesting to see how a proper debate would work, especially as we were debating a current, divisive issue. It was very enjoyable!”