Y11 GCSE History Trip – Westminter Abbey and the Houses of Parliament

This week year 11 History students visited Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Cabinet War Rooms. In the Abbey we followed in the footsteps of Elizabeth I through her coronation and learnt about the significance and impact of the religious turmoil during the rule of the Tudors. We saw the tombs of Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Mary I, Mary Queen of Scots and the oldest door in the country! Some of us (Damien and Mrs Phillips) can even say we sung in the choir stalls of the Abbey! When leaving the Abbey everyone was excited to see armed police and security arriving for the State visit of the South Korean President, whose motorcade we saw driving through the streets to visit King Charles, both at Parliament on Tuesday and outside Waterloo Station on Wednesday.

At Parliament we learnt about the role of MPs and Lords and how we can all help shape the future of the country by using our right to vote when we turn 18. At the House of Commons we were lucky enough to see Chancellor Jeremy Hunt being questioned on his Autumn Statement, Minister for Veterans Johnny Mercer talking about his veterans bill, and meet our MP for Spelthorne Kwasi Kwarteng.

Throughout the trips the year group conducted themselves impeccably and were a credit to the school. It was a pleasure to spend the day with them and see them engaged and excited about History and learning outside the classroom. Special mention has to go to Mohammed and Jayden, our Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition in our mock Commons debate on free transport for under 18s. Lola and Esther also made excellent contributions and Olivia made a fantastic Speaker of the House. Perhaps we have a future leader of the country among the year group!

Mrs Phillips and the History Department