Students in a Welwyn-Hatfield primary school have been taking part in a national project to engage young people in the work of parliament.
The students at St John’s C of E Primary School in Lemsford had been learning about Civil Engagement and Parliament all week and invited the local MP to gain further insight into British Politics.
School children then got the chance to grill local MP Grant Shapps on a wide range of issues including who the next Prime Minister will be and why he became an MP.
Topics also covered a wide range, with the pupils curious to know what MPs do and if he will become the next “Prime Minister”.
Mr Shapps said the children showed a “brilliant understanding of how Parliament and democracy work in the UK”.
He was especially impressed at their awareness of current national issues including the Prime Minister’s resignation and Brexit.
“It was brilliant to speak to such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of children,” he said.
“I was very impressed with their questions and their knowledge of the local and national issues – including who will be the next Prime Minister.”
Thanking the MP for visiting, year 5 teacher Rebeka Ng said: “The classes and I really enjoyed hearing from Mr Shapps and liked having the opportunity to ask questions and have discussions with Grant not just about his role as an MP, but to help further their understanding of current political events such as ‘Brexit’ and leadership elections.
The students took part in the Parliament Loan Box scheme, where schools can loan free resources which seeks to “Develop classroom debates, introduce the concept of law making and support pupils’ understanding of the democratic process through active learning.”[1]
Notes to the Editor
[1] You
can find out more about the box and request to loan it here: https://www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/parliament-loan-box/