I booked onto this workshop several months ago after seeing a fellow home edder post about it on Facebook (thank you to them!). This visit is free and they also pay for your travel to get there which is not an insignificant amount for us northerners!
There are half-hourly slots to book onto and we chose a 10am start (we stayed near London the night before). After going through airport-style security checks, we were welcomed into a room with several activities at different stations and lots of helpful staff.
We had just 40 minutes here before going to watch a film and then leaving for our tour of the Parliament buildings. We could have done with twice as much time as there was plenty to cover. There were stations about: how to find details about who sits in the Houses of Commons and Lords, how to find out how your MP voted in debates, how laws are made and how you can petition the government on issues that matter to you and there were some activities to make you think about what matters to you (this included modelling clay). There was also a station on voting and manifestos with an opportunity to vote between some fictional parties with very differing policies.
There were lots of staff on hand to talk to us about their particular station and to talk us through the activities. They were keen to make everything as relevant as possible to the girls.
I should note here that we had a really good experience for this session. A friend who went later in the afternoon, however, found this session very disappointing. It sounds like a lot of staff had left and there was less interaction in the room. It’s perhaps a good idea to book onto a morning session when enthusiasm levels for the day are higher.
We then went on to watch a twenty-minute video about the history of Parliament from medieval times right up to the present day. The video was projected onto three walls whilst we sat in the middle so it was very engaging and immersive.
After the video was then the highlight of the morning for us: a tour of the Houses of Parliament. Photos weren’t allowed in the main chambers but we took them when we were allowed. Our guide wasn’t the best (he wasn’t that knowledgeable beyond his scripted commentary and was far from politically impartial) but he still gave us plenty of new information.
It was amazing to be in the Houses of Commons and Lords. They are much smaller than they appear on TV! Both girls got to lean on the despatch boxes in the Commons but we weren’t allowed to sit on the benches. We got a real feel of the grandeur and importance of the building; what goes on here affects so many elements of our lives.
After the Houses, we then went on to Westminster Hall which is where Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill lay in state. Built over 900 years ago, this is the oldest part of Parliament, and is the only part which has survived through all these centuries. This place has seen an incredible amount of history!
We returned from the tour to have a private audience with a member of the House of Lords. We spoke with Baroness Garden of Frognal, or “Just Sue” as she asked us to call her. She talked about her role in the Lords and how she treats it as a job with daily attendance and workload. She sits on the Committee for secondary level education and has debated on home education issues many times.
She engaged really well with everyone in the room and encouraged the children and adults to ask questions or to say something. Peggy had a lovely chat with her about the importance of crochet and other crafts which don’t appear on the national curriculum.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our free visit which lasted just over 2.25 hours in total. The tour of the Houses alone would have cost us £96 if we’d booked independently as a family but we gained so much more from the session before and talking to “Sue” afterwards. We highly recommend this visit. If you can’t get down to London (don’t forget they’ll fund your travel) there are also online tours you can do; just have a look at the UK Parliament learning website. There are also plenty of educational resources too; these are aimed at schools but still very usable by home educations.
