A GROUP of King’s Ely’s A Level Government and Politics students visited UK Parliament on April 24th.
After getting past the Extension Rebellion protestors, the group attended the Houses of Parliament and Supreme Court, where they got the chance to meet their local MP, Lucy Frazer.
The students then went onto Downing Street for photos, just as Chancellor Philip Hammond arrived.
Enrichment helps to place our Sixth Form pupils’ studies in a wider intellectual landscape. Enrichment opportunities in our Sixth Form include talks by visiting speakers, either to the whole Sixth Form or to smaller subject-specific academic societies, student-led discussion evenings, and visits and trips organised by academic departments.
Teacher of History, Government and Politics at King’s Ely Senior, Sharon Jackson, said: “The first stop was a tour of the Supreme Court where students were challenged to consider controversial cases and make judgements before finding out about the actual findings by the Justices. The students enjoyed their role as Supreme Court Justices sitting in their chairs and being challenged to find the ‘right’ judgements on.
“Our second stop of the day was at the very seat of government power, Downing Street. The group were lucky enough to pass through security and have the privilege of walking down Downing Street itself. The students really enjoyed posing for photos outside No 10. As photos were being taken a government car drew up and Phillip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, emerged saying hello to a very excited bunch of Politics students.
“Our last port of call was Parliament itself but first the group had to navigate through the environmental protests and the heavy police presence in Parliament Square. The students were fascinated to see the protesters blocking roads and others tied into the high branches of trees opposite the Palace of Westminster.
“The students had a tour of Parliament and watched debates in both the House of Commons and House of Lords. It was great for them to have the experience of watching the House of Parliament at work and some political celebrities were spotted including Shami Chakrabarti (former director of Liberty and now a Labour peer) and John Pienaar (Deputy political editor for the BBC). The students then took part in a workshop on making laws and debating which was useful revision for the Year 13 students and a great source of information for the Year 12’s.
“Finally, our local MP, Lucy Frazer, met us and talked about her role as an MP and Justice minister, and then took questions from the students. The students asked Mrs Frazer a whole range of questions; they asked her what she thought about the protesters outside, who did she think would replace Theresa May as Prime Minister, should we have a second referendum on Brexit and why she always voted with rather than against the government. Lucy Frazer was very gracious on her grilling by the students and said that pupils at King’s Ely always asked her deep questions.
“An unforgettable visit to Westminster!”