Students take a peak behind the scenes of Parliament!

On the 26th February 2019, myself and a group of Year 8 and 9 pupils boarded the train at Southbourne, our destination, London - the Capital. Chatting away to each other and playing on our phones, the journey went quickly. Arriving in London, we soon made our way to the Houses of Parliament. With a quick security search, we then entered the film room. The 15 minute movie talked about the history of Parliament, starting from the Magna Carta, finishing on the ways Parliament has been rebuilt over the years due to bombing or fires. With the House of Commons out of bounds to look around itself, we were lucky to still be given a full-room view of it. Surprisingly, it looked a lot smaller to what is seen on TV, it is a wonder how all the politicians can fit inside when Parliament is in session! Our guide shared with us the sort of things that went on in the House of Commons; the different parties; who sits where; the job of the speaker and what the Queen’s Crown jewels were used for during Parliament. Did you know that no Monarch of England is allowed in the House of Commons? This all started from when King Charles 1st charged into the Commons and tried to arrest some MPS! From our chat about the Houses of Commons, we then took a short walk into Parliament itself, where we continued our tour. We stopped at the entrance to Parliament (the Queen’s official entrance). We visited many rooms, including the Queen’s very palatial chamber where she gets ready on her visits. We then had the opportunity to visit the House of Lords where inside we saw the Queen’s gold Throne, The Speaker’s chair and how the room itself differs from the House of Commons. In addition, we also walked through the main hallway, where we learned about how people have protested in that very hallway, about situations such as the third runway at Heathrow and having guide dogs allowed in more public places.

“I enjoyed learning about the history of Parliament.” Aimee H. “I enjoyed the tour around the different rooms. It was interesting to see what they were all used for.” Holly K. “It was very educational, and it helped me understand Parliament more.” Sam O.