Our Year 13 Politics class, recently had an unforgettable trip to the Houses of Parliament. We started our journey from Riddlesdown Station and took the train to Victoria Station, for the rest of our journey we walked to Westminster. It was surreal knowing we were about to walk into the building where the decision that shapes our lives are made. Once there, we were greeted by the Education Team who gave us an amazing tour. We were able to walk through the historic halls, learning about how Parliament works and entering the Lords and Commons where our representatives’ debate.

One interesting fact we learned was that the Declaration of Independence of the USA used to be stored in Parliament’s archives. On entering the House of Commons, we spotted a few well-known MPs, which made the whole experience feel very real. We saw Iain Duncan Smith – former Conservative Party leader, in person.

At the end we had a workshop on political parties. Standing in such a historic place, seeing the rooms where decisions are made reminded us that these are not just things we study in class, but ideas and actions that impact our lives every day.

Bleron M – Year 13 College VI