Houses of Parliament Trip

On Thursday 29th June, Hatch End High School Year 10 and Year 12 students participated in a Rewards Trip to various key governmental buildings associated with our democracy.

Students had a packed itinerary on the day and had the opportunity to learn about the institutions representing the separation of powers in the UK: i.e. the Legislative (Parliament), the Executive (Prime Minister and the Cabinet) and the Judicial Branch.

During the morning our students participated in a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament; students visited the House of Commons and House of Lords, learnt about the whipping system and the various stages bills need to go through to become laws.

At 12.00pm, students watched Prime Minister’s Questions and quickly learned to appreciate this long-standing tradition and how it enables the scrutiny of the Executive branch. Meeting the MP for Harrow East, Bob Blackman, was a real highlight of the day. Our students felt privileged to have their questions answered by Mr Blackman in a Q&A session.

The next stop of the day was 10 Downing Street; a former student of Hatch End High School, Ameet Jogia (Councillor and Political Aide) arranged for us to get past the iron gates of Downing Street and have our photos taken in front of Number 10.

To conclude the visit, our students made their way to the Supreme Court, the apex of the UK’s legal system and the final court of appeal. Having learnt about the 12 Justices of the Supreme Court, we all were incredibly lucky to listen in on an ongoing Supreme Court case (Court Room No1). So many of our students walked away inspired by what they heard and observed, even considering a legal career as a possible future profession.

We are incredibly grateful to Mr Bob Blackman, his office and Mr Ameet Jogia’s invaluable input in making this extraordinary trip happen for our students. Mr Richards' expertise of the financial world was also highly enlightening.

Both Mr Richards and I could not have been prouder of our students’ performance during this day; they were real ambassadors to our School and we cannot wait to see how this visit potentially impacts on their A-Levels, University and future career options.

Mrs Clarke, Head of Humanities Department