Houses of Parliament Trip

Year 8 pupils travelled to London to visit the Houses of Parliament. Parking the minibus at Cockfosters, we then braved the Piccadilly Line, ultimately arriving at Westminster in time for a picnic lunch in Parliament Square, enjoying the view of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. 

Once in the Palace of Westminster, we had a full tour of the building and were able to go into the House of Commons and the House of Lords (as all of the MPs are still on their holidays!). The pupils particularly enjoyed learning about the story of Marjorie Hume, the suffragette who handcuffed herself to a statue in the entrance to parliament, refusing to leave until she spoke to her local MP about Votes for Women. She left her mark on the statue in two ways ‒ not only did a stone spur break off the statue's boot, but female MPs still tap his boot on their way into work in recognition of Marjorie's protest, meaning you can see a very clear shiny spot on the stone, the result of thousands of taps!

Following the tour, pupils had a workshop all about petitions, learning that they can start a petition on the government website about any issue which they feel should be debated in parliament. The pupils had some great ideas for petitions they could start and we learnt that, if a petition gets 100,000 signatures online then it can even be debated in the House of Commons!

We took the scenic route back to the tube, walking through St James's Park and past Buckingham Palace, before squeezing onto a rather full rush-hour train! Quite an experience!

Overall, the Year 8 pupils had a great visit, and a brilliant opportunity to reflect on our British Values of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. They will share their experiences and knowledge with the younger pupils in a special assembly later this term, to mark UK Parliament Week.