The Year 12 and 13 students enjoyed tours of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and were able to meet James Wild, MP for North West Norfolk, who joined them.

“He left the Party Conference and returned to London, despite Parliament being in recess, to meet the students,” said Matt Scoles, Personal Social Health and Economic Lead at Springwood, who accompanied the students on the trip. 

“He was happy to answer any questions they asked and also asked for their views and opinions on key topical issues, like the current policy to raise the age you can buy cigarettes each year.”

Following the meeting, the group took part in a workshop which explained how a bill progresses through the various stages of Parliament to become enshrined in law. 

“As part of the workshop, the sixth formers debated against one another on the topic of lawful euthanasia,” continued Mr Scoles. 

“In the afternoon, we visited the location of the Supreme Court and Downing Street. We also posed for photographs at the statue to commemorate the work of Emmeline Pankhurst and the struggle for women’s suffrage.”

The 10 students are all studying for A Levels at the school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“These are politics students who are studying how the UK political system works, so opportunities like this are invaluable to further their understanding,” added Mr Scoles.