Westminster Welcomes Ffynone House!

Ffynone pupils visit the Mother of all Parliaments in London

On a beautiful autumn day Year 11, 12 and 13 from pupils from Ffynone House School in Swansea accompanied by Mr Phillips and Mrs Palmer visited the Palace of Westminster as guests of the Parliamentary Education Service. We were fortunate that our visit coincided with the Members' return from their summer recess and were thus able to see both Houses "in action".

Arriving at Portcullis House, we were all obliged to have our photograph taken for a security / visitors pass. This done, was our immediate concern to hot foot  it to the Mother of Parliaments? Frankly, no, as there was an urgent need for a comfort stop, our coach having been somewhat delayed on its journey into London...

Parliament Square and Westminster Hall

Suitably relieved, we met our guides, who took us through the tunnel under Parliament Square and into the impressive medieval surroundings of Westminster Hall. Here one could almost sense the history it has witnessed, including coronation banquets, the trial of Charles I and the lying in state of Sir Winston Churchill. The hall is still used for state occasions, such as the address by Nelson Mandela to both Houses of Parliament.

St Stephen's Chapel

Entering Saint Stephen's Chapel, we had our first glimpse of the beautiful art and architecture of the Victorian part of Parliament. Each group received a brief guide to how a government is formed and what roles different Cabinet ministers undertake. Then it was on to the central lobby, so familiar from news reports. Making our way through a narrow corridor, we climbed to the upper floors of the House and, after another security check, were taken into the public gallery of the House of Commons.

Ffynone pupils view the House of Commons

We saw Speaker Bercow and the impressive mace that gives the House its authority. Appropriately enough, the session was devoted to education questions. Some of our party were shocked at how few MPs were present and also by the way they behaved. Suffice it to say, Ffynone House debaters show far more decorum (and interest) than some of our elected representatives!

Ffynone pupils view the House of Lords

Moving on to the public gallery of the House of Lords we sat above a much fuller chamber "with no one under sixty" to quote an anonymous sixth former with the initials MW. Here, some famous faces could be recognised, including Sir Alan Sugar, who, due to be ennobled the following day, had to sit behind the bar of the House. The scarlet of the Woolsack, the beautiful wall paintings and the golden thrones made a very impressive spectacle. The debate here seemed much more polite. Interestingly, the Lords' sitting was suspended shortly after we left. Was it something we said?! Actually, one of the members had been taken ill, but fortunately recovered.

Ffynone workshop on elections and democracy

Following a question and answer session in the Central Lobby (yes, that was us you saw on the Sky news report!) we returned to Portcullis House for a workshop on elections and voting.

Splitting into three parties, we had to decide the contents of our manifestos which were then set out by party leaders Camilla, Josie and Mohamed. Following our interactive voting, Eric the Teller (also known as Eric the Antunes) recorded the results, which saw Josie's party elected. There followed a rather hurried explanation of voting systems, as our education officer was clearly trying to cram everything in before our MP., Alan Williams, arrived to take our questions.

Alan Williams MP

His memories of last year's financial crash made for alarming listening as he explained just how close we came to economic meltdown. Amazingly, he is still working at 79, though will be standing down at the next election. I can think of one Ffynone staff member who aims to be long retired by that age...

After a request to use one of the cafes in Portcullis House had been politely turned down with "It's only for the Members,"  (gee, thanks!) we made our way outside to the hustle and bustle of Parliament Square. There was just time to purchase some comestibles from a well - known and much loved (by Mr Phillips) food outlet, before our bus arrived to whisk (?!) us back to Wales.

We came, we saw, we crashed out on the journey home. However, having whetted our appetite, we'll hopefully be back next year at the Westminster village to keep a beady eye on those who we hope have our best interests at heart!