On Friday 4 November, Dr. Furniss and Mr. Fuller took Year 12 and 13 Politics students on a trip to Parliament and the Supreme Court. In the morning, students had a fascinating tour of Parliament. A particular highlight was the grand chamber of the House of Lords, where they heard that Michael Jackson had been so impressed with the monarch’s gold-plated throne that he had asked if he could buy it! After that, students participated in a workshop on laws and debating before getting a Q and A session with Lord Balfe, a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords. The students grilled him with expert questions about hereditary peers, his view on trade union policy, and whether he saw a problem with Rishi Sunak’s wealth and background.
Taking advantage of a gloriously sunny day, we then walked past the Treasury, Foreign Office and Downing Street before having lunch in St. James’ Park. Once refuelled, it was off to view Buckingham Palace and then back up the Mall to the Supreme Court. The permanent exhibition there allowed students to learn about the establishment of the Supreme Court, and the interactive scenarios gave them the chance to imagine how they would have ruled on key constitutional cases of the last few years. 
After a photo in front of the Millicent Fawcett statue in Parliament Square, everyone headed back to the tube with sore feet but a much clearer sense of the geography of political power in Westminster.
Read more Senior School news here: Issue 268: 11 November 2022