To expand our work on British Values and democracy, Preps 4 and 6 travelled to London to visit the Houses of Parliament to see in action how our country’s long and rich history has formed the democratic system we use today.
We travelled by train and Underground to Piccadilly and from there we walked through Green Park to Buckingham Palace. One child’s observation: “Why does the King need so many rooms?” Indeed!
From there, we walked through St. James’ Park where we were delighted to see the famous pelicans that inhabit the lake. We also saw herons and lots of different ducks and geese. As we walked onwards to the Palace of Westminster, we saw Westminster Abbey and the city was abuzz with preparations for the upcoming State Opening of Parliament.
When we arrived at Parliament, we were taken through security to Westminster Hall, known to us most recently as the place Queen Elizabeth II lay in state as the public came to pay their respects. We met our fantastic tour guide and began the tour with our audio guides to support the understanding.
We walked through the Central Lobby and it was a feast for the eyes, every surface from floor to ceiling was covered with statues of every monarch we have had from 1066 to today. We then went through the division lobbies; two corridors that run down either side of the House of Commons. MPs show their vote for the discussions by going down the ‘Aye’ or the ‘No’ corridor and placing their votes.
When we went into the House of Commons, it was fascinating to see how small it is in real life, so compact compared to what we see on television!
After the tour, we visited the gift shop and then headed back to Green Park for a lovely sunny picnic, a play on St. James’ Park playground and of course, the obligatory ice cream!
Categories: Prep 3 Prep 4 Prep 5 Prep 6 School Blogs
