Year 12 Trip to Parliament

On the 6th October the Year 12 Politics students set off to London to visit some of the most important political buildings in the country. After catching a train, bright and early, we arrived at Westminster for our tour of Parliament. We were led by two tour guides, equally witty and insightful. We were stunned at the decorative design of the House of Lords – covered in gold leaf and the famous red leather – howether we made sure not to sit down! Our friendly tour guides talked to us about the job of the Lords and how they become appointed. Next we wandered into the House of Commons where we were informed about where different parties sit and the history of the rebuilding of this half of Parliament. We had time to look at the central lobby of Parliament and its incredible statues, before taking a group picture and saying goodbye to Emmet and Ben – our lovely guides.

After our tour we went to the education centre and took part in a group activity to help us understand the role of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. We were split into teams and debated on the topic of free university education. A big thank you to our group leader Celeste.

After a lunch break in the sun, we headed to the Supreme Court, where we experienced a fascinating exhibition about its history and importance in our government. We read about the compelling stories of minority and female judges paving the way of our country’s legal system before having a chance to look around the courts themselves – where we took a group picture. Overall we think everyone would agree this day was both informative and fun,

We would like to say a big thankyou to Miss Chandler and Mr Spurgeon for organizing this wonderful day and ensuring everybody got there and back safely.

Lexie Harrington