Houses of Parliament

In December girls in the Sixth Form studying History A Level had the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament and meet with the Aylesbury MP David Lidington.

On their arrival the girls were taken on a tour of the Palace of Westminster visiting both the historic buildings of the palace and the newer more modern areas. They were taken to both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were they learnt about how the country’s political system works and retains many of the traditions which date back hundreds of years. Other historic areas visited included the statue that suffragette Marjorie Hume chained herself to before World War One campaigning for “Votes for Women” and also the court where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were put on trial. During the tour the girls learnt a lot about the work of Members of Parliament, the roll of the Lords and the Queen. They also learnt how ordinary people can become involved in the political system.

Following the tour, the girls took part in a “Making Laws” workshop where they were split into two teams to debate a bill of their choosing. The bill proposed was to ban smoking in the UK. The workshop gave the girls a hands on approach to learning about the different stages and compromises parliament must go through from the first reading of the bill to the signing of an Act of Parliament by the queen.

The visit concluded with a question and answer session with the local Conservative MP for Aylesbury, David Lidington. The girls were able to ask him questions on a range of issues including, David Cameron’s leadership, the rise of UKIP and the impact of HS2. 

Head of History, Mrs Tinnelly said “This was a fantastic trip to the Houses of Parliament and the girls really benefitted from the experience which will supplement their learning of the fight for women’s suffrage and the role of popular protest in winning political rights. Meeting the MP for Aylesbury was very interesting and helped the girls realise just how complex the process of political decision making is.”

For more information contact:

Rebecca Conroy, Senior Marketing Executive, Pipers Corner School. Telephone 01494 719850 or email [email protected]

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