Recently, Year 1 A-level Politics students had an opportunity to bring their studies to life when they visited the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. The trip was facilitated by Baroness Primarolo, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
The students had a fantastic time exploring Parliament and stepping foot in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They even got to see Charles I’s death warrant and the hastily scribbled out names because of the Restoration!
Students also attended an incredible talk by Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, former Director of the pressure group Liberty, who explained the importance of Human Rights and how it’s essential that in an ever-changing world that those rights are held sacrosanct. She also kindly gave them a copy of her book entitled- Human Rights: the case for defence.
Following this, the students explored the area around Parliament Square and had a tour of the Supreme Court, which was created by Tony Blair’s government in 2005.
Year 1 student, Dominik, said “The House of Commons trip enriched my understanding of parliamentary procedures, legislative processes, and democratic principles. Experiencing debates first hand deepened my appreciation for government workings and inspired my civic engagement. I enjoyed this trip and I look forward to applying what I have learnt in future lessons.”
Abi, a fellow Year 1 student, added “The trip was really fun! At one point we were able to go into the House of Commons and House of Lords which was such a cool insight into where government work and PMQ’s takes place. It definitely brought what we’ve learnt about the executive and parliament to life by seeing where MPs and Peers spend so much of their time.”
A few days after the trip, the students got an additional treat when they held a virtual 1:1 with Lord Jim Knight, a former Cabinet Minister in Gordon Brown’s government. He discussed his role in the Defence Select Committee in 2003 and looking at the evidence for the War in Iraq. His talk as incredibly informative and helped students think about careers in Politics and how they too can make a difference.
On election day, Friday 5th July students across College are free to drop into N009 where they can watch live as the results come in. Come along and see how the nation has voted and who our next Prime Minister will be.
For more information on this story, please contact chloe.suter@cirencester.ac.uk
