Our Lower Sixth A-Level Politics students recently enjoyed a memorable trip to the Houses of Parliament on a day which coincided with a major protest over Gaza.

The visit aimed to help our students with their study of the role of Parliament. It began with a guided tour of both Houses, as the 41 students and 5 teachers heard about the history of the building, were able to learn about the art and statues within it, and got to stand in both Commons and Lords Chambers. Particularly memorable for the students was seeing the Speakers and Clerks chairs a few hours before they became the focus of a major controversy and finding out that Michael Jackson had tried to buy the Monarch’s throne in the Lords.

The group moved up to a Committee Room where they were able to hear from and question Labour MP Andy Slaughter about life as an MP, Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin about the role of Select Committees, and Crossbench Peer Baroness Bull on her journey from ballerina to Arts Council to appointment as a ‘People’s Peer’, as well as why she thinks the work of the Lords is so important.

After lunch, the group split up to go to a variety of different places, including the Commons and Lords galleries and Committee Rooms. Parliament was the focus of a mass lobby of MPs from protesters wanting a ceasefire in Gaza, which made it more difficult to move around and get spaces in the various galleries. Students were able to witness first-hand democracy in action.

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Author: Karen Dove