On Monday, 29th January, 46 Sixth Form students and four members of staff had an unusually early start. Clutching coffees, we boarded the coach at the College at 7 a.m.

Having arrived in Westminster, we strolled around Parliament Square, taking in our surroundings. The first stop was a tour of the Houses of Parliament; the students were fascinated by the grandeur of the building.

They were guided by knowledgeable and engaging Education Officers, who provided an insight into the inner workings of Parliament, and its most unusual traditions.

We were able to stand at John Bercow’s desk, and hover in front of the opposition’s green seats in the House of Commons. We admired the throne of the Monarch in the House of Lords, and even caught a glimpse of Winston Churchill’s Grandson. We then attended a ‘Law Making’ workshop, where students were put into two teams and competed in a quiz. Then, in a role play of a Parliamentary Debate, in which Toby Paton was elected Speaker of the House, while Chloe Fordham and Tiffany Lee were party leaders.

The students entered a furious debate about lowering the voting age to sixteen, in which the final vote was a surprising, yet resounding ‘No’. Toby did a great job of shouting: “Order! Order!”, in true Bercow fashion.

We then made the short walk to the Supreme Court, where we were given a tour, and were able to sit in each of the three court rooms. We discussed the outcome of significant rulings from the Supreme Court, including the Gina Miller case in the wake of Brexit.

A brilliant day was had by all. Many thanks to Roland Hurrell, Brenda Driessen and Jennie Smith for their help and support on the day.

Amelia Rigby