In a year in which political power has changed hands on both sides of the Atlantic, QE Politics students had the chance to find out more about elections on a visit to Westminster.
Twenty sixth-formers headed to London for a tour of the Palace of Westminster, also enjoying an interactive workshop on elections run by the UK Parliament’s education department.
Politics teacher Liam Hargadon said: “QE students were able to impress the staff of the department with their knowledge of the legislation process, as well as the history of the UK constitution.”
For Year 12’s Sejal Bobba, finding out more about elections was a definite highlight: “The informative and eye-opening interactive workshop where, as teams, we learnt and executed different areas contributing to a successful party and campaigning machine was really the cherry on the top of an absorbing day.”
The A-level Politics course requires pupils to understand the workings of the main institutions of UK government, and how these institutions relate together. The visit aimed to bring boys’ classroom work and independent study on this to life.
Prior to the tour of the palace, boys had a walking tour of Whitehall and Westminster, during which they saw some major Government departments and passed the UK Supreme Court. In Parliament Square, they noted all the statues of significant political figures, from UK Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Benjamin Disraeli, and suffragist Millicent Fawcett, to international statesmen Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
The tour took in the chambers of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The party, accompanied by Mr Hargadon and another Politics teacher, Samuel Neagus, walked through the royal robing room and gallery, as well as the Central Lobby.
They paused for a photo in Westminster Hall – the 927-year-old hall sometimes used for joint addresses to both chambers of Parliament and for the lying-in-state of notable political leaders and members of the Royal Family.
Their visit coincided with the Armistice Day ceremonial around the Cenotaph. “Being in Parliament Square for the traditional silence was a particularly moving experience,” said Mr Neagus.
Reflecting on the day, Sejal said: “We comprehensively explored the much-ignored but important layers that contribute to our Government, such as the Whitehall executive, the Lords and the individuals commemorated in Parliament Square.”
Year 13’s Robin Vickers added: “Our visit to Parliament showed us much about the history of the British governmental system, from the Remembrance Day activities in Whitehall to the tour, which took us to the oldest part of Parliament, Westminster Hall.
“Seeing the chambers up close, with the Strangers’ Gallery, along with the workshop following the tour, has encouraged me to participate more in Parliamentary goings-on.”