Westminster Walks
The Year 8 Scholars have recently visited Westminster, not only for a visit to Parliament and the Supreme Court, but also an exploration of the areas surrounding Parliament with a particular focus on the many statues found there.
Walking from Charing Cross to Parliament the students passed the Cenotaph where people were gathering for a Service of Remembrance and we discussed the significance of the area of Whitehall in general, the site in former times of the main Royal Palace (1530 to 1698)
Arriving at the Education Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens the students saw an informative video about the history of Parliament before enjoying a most informative tour of the Palace of Westminster involving visits to the chambers of both the Houses of Commons and Lords as well as Westminster Hall.
After lunch the students explored Parliament Square where they looked at a range of statues from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela with various Prime Ministers and other significant figures such as Millicent Garrett Fawcett in-between. They were asked to think about the design of the statues and the possible messages conveyed as well as the collection of statues as a whole; were there any surprising inclusions or exclusions? All these questions attempted to explore the idea of commemoration, and this was picking up on our walk through Victoria Tower Gardens where the students had earlier looked at the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst and the memorial (though surrounded by canvas) put up by Charles Buxton to remember the Emancipation of Slaves in 1834 recognising the work of his father and others in that cause.
Finally, we visited the Supreme Court just across from Parliament Square. The group were able to sit in one of the court rooms, not in session at that time, and Mrs Powis-Holt spoke about the origins and significance of the Court. There was then a visit to the interactive Museum which illustrated the Court’s work. It so happened that our visit this year coincided with a case actually being heard in one of the other court rooms and the students were able to watch a few minutes of the proceedings.
Overall, this was a full and most productive day in which the students learnt much about the role of Parliament and the Judiciary and why and how we commemorate things.
On November 11th, the Eltham College Year 8 Academic Scholars visited the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court. The trip allowed these young students a rare chance to see the inner workings of the UK government and the ways in which laws are produced and upheld.
The trip was organised and led by Eltham College’s Head of Academic Scholarship, Mr Cavendish, who viewed the trip as a way to get future leaders excited about government and politics. “ It is important to develop young people’s awareness about the nation’s political and judicial systems; both in terms of understanding their historical development and their crucial relevance in the contemporary world.”
Starting off with a tour of Parliament, the Scholars followed in the footsteps of the King and the rulers before him, even visiting the spot where the Gunpowder Plot took place. As they walked through the halls, they learnt about the last monarch to ever live there and the symbolic changes in furniture throughout the palace, with red leather symbolizing the House of Lords, green the House of Commons, and gold dotted around for the monarch. The academic scholars even saw the throne used by King Charles during his parliamentary visits.
In the House of Commons, the scholars learned how any member of staff is allowed to vote in the case of a tiebreaker, as long as they run into the Commons on time. To finish off the tour, the Year 8s walked past statues where the Suffragettes protested and where the late Queen’s coffin once lay.
After a quick break for lunch and a discussion of the importance of the statues in Parliament Square, they headed to the Supreme Court. Ms. Powis-Holt, a teacher of politics at Eltham College, gave a talk about the importance of the Supreme Court and what they do. Once again, the scholars learned the significance of decor in public places and how the Tudor rose, leek and thistle represent the unity of the British nations. With interactive tablets and artefacts, the Year 8 Scholars looked around the Supreme Court’s exhibition space and solved past court cases, learning about the intricacies of being a judge.
To finish their tour, they experienced one of the day’s highlights, which had never been done before with previous scholars: seeing an actual case being tried in the Supreme Court. Scholars witnessed a murder case in which a suspected criminal was being refused bail. The case had risen up through all the courts, and finally made it to the Supreme Court,
where it won’t just affect one person but potentially affect everyone in the UK. “Seeing a court case in action was truly fascinating,” said Aadi, one of the scholars.
Students returned to Eltham College feeling that the day had been eye-opening, giving them a new insights into the world of law. Perhaps one day, some of these students might even find themselves greeting future Elthamians into Parliament and the Supreme Court as MP’s and judges themselves.
Last Monday, the Year 8 Academic Scholars went on a trip to Westminster. On this trip, the scholars went for a guided tour of Parliament and saw the chambers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, statues of famous political figures from the past including Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher and Westminster Hall. Afterwards, the scholars went to Parliament Square and explored the significance of the statues that stand there. Later, the group visited the Supreme Court and were able to sit in one of the court rooms which was not in use. After visiting the court’s interactive museum, the scholars were lucky enough to be able to watch a bit of the proceedings of a real case.” I really enjoyed the trip-especially the proceedings at the supreme court,” said Seb.
