On a blustery day in mid-September, the Year 13 Politics class was lucky enough to have a fantastic trip to London with Mr Dove and Mrs Humm.

We had a tour of Parliament, and walked through the House of Lords, seeing the Monarch’s gilded throne and discussing political debates surrounding the Upper House.

Following this, we watched a debate going on in the Commons; it was a fascinating experience to be able to look down at the people we have spent so long studying, as well as the nature of the debate (net zero) being highly topical.

An ex-Bartholomew student now working in Parliament dropped by to give some advice on doing Politics beyond A Level, and to complete our time in Parliament, our local MP, Robert Courts, came in for a Q&A session with us. Being able to speak to a politician directly influencing our lives is always interesting, and it provides a platform to ask questions both about the political systems we learn, and the state of current political affairs.

We spent the second half our day wandering around the Supreme Court and sitting in the Courts, before racing back for our train, windswept but delighted!

Being able to explore the places of such significance was invaluable, and has definitely heightened our love for the subject.

We are so thankful for Mr Dove and Mrs Humm for taking us - it was a wonderful day!

Annie Scarborough Year 13