On Tuesday, the international pupils, together with the pupils studying Politics went to London to visit the Houses of Parliament...

Parliament is currently in recess, and so we were unable to see business being carried out in either of the Houses, but the advantage was that our tour took us into both Houses, whereas on previous occasions we were only able to observe from the galleries. The pupils were rewarded for their patience on the long bus journey, by a tour which led us up into Parliament through the Monarch’s entrance, past Black Rod’s offices and into the Robing Room, where the Monarch prepares for the State Opening of Parliament. The pupils were fascinated by their experience of the House of Lords in its luxury, and our guide gave detailed information of the role of the Lords, of the Monarch’s speech, and of the symbol of the Wool Sack. Out into the Central Lobby, the pupils were met with larger-than-life bronze statues of David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher. Passing into the green corridors lined with copies of Hansard, and passing the voting booths, the simplicity of the Commons met the pupils as a stark contrast. The role of the Speaker and the detail of the necessary presence of the Sceptre in the House to represent the Monarch, were just some of the details imparted by our guide, alongside the fact that all the books behind the dispatch boxes hide the wiring for the microphone and audio systems! Fun fact.

And last but not least, we visited Westminster Hall. Passing through St Stephen’s Hall, where the House of Commons was situated before the fire, which destroyed much of the building in 1834, we went down the steps to the imposing Westminster Hall, the oldest building in Parliament with its impressive hammer-beam roof. A brief history of the Hall, including, the lying-in-state of our late Monarch, was followed by the photoshoot, and our pupils were then accompanied to the education centre. A lively workshop on representation and voting followed, which had all the pupils, EAL and Politics together, joining in to create and present party manifestos and then cast their votes to the ballot box.

It was a long day - before the Houses of Parliament, we had walked around Trafalgar Square, The Mall and Whitehall, stopping briefly to peer through the bars of Downing Street - but very much worth the trip.

Nicola Checketts - Head of EAL

The L6^th Form A Level Politics pupils enjoyed a tour of Whitehall, visiting various departmental buildings, alongside political landmarks such as 10 Downing Street, Horse Guards Parade, Portcullis House and various statues on Parliament Square. We then headed into the Supreme Court to see the three courtrooms in the highest court of our land. After a brief lunch break, we were delighted to enjoy an excellent tour of the Palace of Westminster followed by a lively workshop on voting.

Rev'd George Beverly - Head of Politics