Students were afforded the opportunity to tour the Palace of Westminster and participate in a workshop that examined the power of petitions. Working in small groups, students explored various self-selected topics including education, cheaper transport, A&E waiting times and social media restrictions for children. These topics inspired discussion and debate within each group as they considered which issues they would like to see raised in Parliament.

Fortunate timing, with debates taking place in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meant that the students were also given front row seats to see how issues are discussed at the heart of British democracy. Watching from the public galleries, students listened to speeches delivered by Iain Duncan-Smith and Baroness Berridge.

Andrea Monaghan, the school’s head of personal development, said: “Learning about how our country is governed is an important part of the citizenship curriculum and seeing government in action is much more exciting than just learning about it in the classroom.

“The workshop, organised by the Parliament Education Service, helped to inform students about the role that petitions play in raising issues to the attention of the government. The students were particularly interested to learn that they do not have to be over 18 to sign or even create a petition on the government's website. It is something that everyone can participate in and use to help influence the way that the country is run.” 

The visit to Westminster aligned with the students’ continuing exploration of citizenship, a topic covered within fortnightly personal development lessons. This element of the curriculum helps to nurture the knowledge, skills and understanding needed for students to play a full part in democratic society as active and responsible citizens.

Explaining this work further, Andrea added: “Our visit to Westminster complemented their classroom learning by helping to bring the subject to life. Throughout the rest of the year, students will continue to explore these themes and many others through a combination of lessons and drop-down mornings which will see them taken off-timetable for bespoke learning opportunities.”  

Following their visit to Parliament, the group moved on to the British Library where they explored the treasures gallery – an on-site museum that holds a number of significant books and manuscripts from English, European and world history including the Magna Carta, the Domesday Book and original copies of Shakespearean plays. 

Andrea added: “We found many texts that linked with learning in other subjects, such as a twelfth century copy of the Rig Veda – a collection of ancient Indian hymns from Hinduism which year 8 have been learning about in Religious Studies, and a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio which links to their learning in English. Many of the documents, including a copy of the Magna Carta, also linked to their learning in history. During the visit, some of the students set themselves the challenge of finding the oldest piece of text on display and were clearly impressed with the history and significance of the documents.”

Among the staff accompanying the students on the trip was Laura Aldridge, lead for reading and whole school literacy, who said: “It was fantastic for our students to visit the British Library and to see for themselves what an important place of study and source of information it is. It was also good for them to see how busy and well-used it is by lots of people for many different reasons and to shatter the misconception of libraries being quiet, dusty and underused places.”

Reflecting on the visit as a whole, Andrea Monaghan said: “Taking a group of our students to the capital, many for their first visit, was an amazing experience. To be given such access to the Houses of Parliament, and to see the things you see on TV in real life is certainly an experience we will all remember.

“The tour guides from the Parliament Education Centre were fantastic, sharing lots of historical and quirky facts with our students which they found really interesting.

“The students were superb ambassadors for the school, conducting themselves with excellent manners throughout and fully engaging in every activity. There were a lot of 'firsts' that day. For some, it was a first visit to London, for some a first trip on a train or on the underground, and for all of our students it was the first time they had set foot inside the Houses of Parliament.”

Year 8 student Ava said: "It was really interesting to look around the Houses of Parliament and to see places that I had only seen pictures of before. But the best part was when Harlow played the piano in the station!"

Andrea Monaghan added: “Year 8 student Harlow impressed everyone with her bravery and skill by taking a turn at playing the piano in St Pancras International Station in front of hundreds of passers-by. Celebrities such as Sir Elton John, Jools Holland and Jeff Goldblum have all played that piano - but as far as I'm concerned, our own Harlow beat the lot of them!”

Meanwhile, following the success of this trip, another visit to London is in the pipeline for the summer term. “Demand for the trip far exceeded the spaces we had available. It was disappointing not to be able to take everyone who wanted to go, but I will be putting together another opportunity to visit London in the summer and those who missed out this time will have first refusal.”

A selection of images from the trip are featured below...