In May, Miss Bennett and Mr Franklin travelled down to London with twenty two of our Year 12 students who are studying the A Level History and Politics courses. After a sightseeing walk past Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade and Downing Street, the group arrived at the Palace of Westminster for a tour around Parliament and a workshop on Representation and Voting.

As the trip was on the same day as the release of the Sue Gray report in to the parties held in Downing Street during the pandemic, Parliament was incredibly busy to say the very least and placed the students right at the heart of a historic political moment! This meant that while the group could not go into the House of Commons or the House of Lords, they did meet several politicians in the central lobby of the Palace of Westminster. Matt Hancock MP said hello to the group and Jeremy Corbyn MP, former Labour leader, spent time talking to the CHS group about their studies and his opinion of the Sue Gray report. The students were thrilled by this very rare opportunity, and some even featured on the 1 o’clock news in the background of a live link-up with BBC Political Correspondent, Nick Eardley!

The visit to Westminster helped students in both History and Politics with their understanding of the Parliamentary process and how elections work. They thoroughly enjoyed the ‘exciting’ opportunity. One commented: “It was an amazing experience to be able to see politicians in their work environment.’ Another thought that the workshop within Parliament was a ‘phenomenal learning opportunity’.

After the tour around Parliament, the group travelled on the tube to the Tower of London where they completed a self-guided tour of the White Tower and the Crown Jewels. The A Level History students were able to gain an understanding of Norman castles, which will assist them in their non-examined assessment (NEA) should they choose this topic. It was fantastic to see the original Norman features of the Tower and how these have changed over time.

We hope to run the trip again next year for our 2022-23 Year 12 cohort.