Our international pupils enjoyed a trip to London to visit the Houses of Parliament

Tuesday 4^th November brought a very early morning departure as the international pupils set off at 5.30am for London and the Houses of Parliament.

Arriving at 9.30 at Westminster Palace, the King’s pupils were assigned expert guides, taken through airport-type security and taken to the Royal stairway, the foot of which lies below the Victoria tower wherein the Parliamentary Archives containing all Acts of Parliament from 1497 to the present day are housed. Ascending the very stairway used only by the British monarchs, we entered the Royal Gallery with its imposing wall painting ‘The Death of Nelson’ and the Battle of Trafalgar. The pupils witnessed members of the House of Lords quietly at work scrutinizing laws at the many tables lining this gallery, one of which tables held a humungous pile of white and green papers awaiting scrutiny.

The House of Lords, the first chamber we visited with its regal red upholstery and the gold throne, always commands the fascination of the pupils. They were informed of the monarch’s role, the function of the Lords, the opening of Parliament and the content of the monarch’s speech.  The quirks of the chamber, such as the woolsack, and the fact that MPs can only sit on the steps of the throne if visiting the Lords, were explained. We moved through to the Central Lobby - the heart of British democracy- and saw the paintings of the four Saints of the British Isles, and could, from there, peer into the House of Commons which was unfortunately closed to us because of enhanced security checks, (no doubt because the following day was the infamous 5^th November). The pupils asked questions about the suffragettes, about voting and the statues which embellish the Palace.

Our final stop was St Stephen’s Hall where the late Queen Elizabeth’s coffin had lain in state. Our pupils were interested to hear how many Heads of State of different nations had spoken from the imposing stairway of the Hall. The pupils then attended a workshop where in small groups they organised constituency hustings and had to create a political party and present their manifesto to the other groups, for votes. Our Westminster visit was followed up by a walk through Whitehall and Horseguards Parade to the Mall and then across Trafalgar Square. Some free time was had in Convent Garden where the pupils enjoyed the shopping and the entertaining musicians, buskers and street performers.

It was a long day, but educational and, hopefully, hugely enjoyable for our international pupils - a true taste of London!

Nicola Checketts - Head of EAL

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