In June, I was lucky to be selected to attend a three day teacher training course down at Parliament. 65 teachers from around the UK attended to learn about democracy in the UK and how the Parliamentary system operates, and then share ideas on how we can bring this back to schools to inspire our students to get involved.

The course consisted of tours around Parliament, meeting Members of Parliament and House of Lords to learn about their work, as well as from staff based behind the scenes at Parliament who promote public engagement and education within their role. It was particularly interesting to hear from Adam Dance MP, who entered politics through a grass roots campaign to save his local youth club which supported him through a difficult time in his childhood. Adam spoke about his ADHD and dyslexia diagnoses, and how he has received support to improve accessibility within this role. This highlighted to me the underrepresentation of politicians with disabilities and neurodiversity, and was a really inspiring story to hear. We also heard from Sarah Binstead-Chapman, a Doorkeeper for the House of Commons, about the variety within her role, and how as an autistic person she manages this. I was impressed with the diversity and experiences of all the speakers involved, and the different pathways which led them to where they are now.

Throughout the course, we heard from previous Ambassadors about how they had utilised the resources available from UK Parliament’s Education and Outreach Team to use with their students. I am aiming to promote these within Kenwood- they are valuable and engaging for different areas of the curriculum- for example, PSHE, Preparation for Employment and Adulthood, and Community and Outdoor Education. I am also keen to share my experiences, particularly within the student council, to get them thinking further about how politics works, and the multitude of careers available in this sector.

There are many ways that children and young people can get involved with democracy, even if they are not yet old enough to vote (Fun fact: you can register to vote once you are 16!). One way is through petitioning- getting enough signatures ensures that you will receive a governmental response, or even have your topic debated in the House of Commons. An inspiring example we discussed on the course, is of June Eric-Udorie. As a teenager, she petitioned against the impending exclusion of feminism within the A-Level Politics curriculum. With the support of her local MP, this decision was revoked, and more feminist thinkers included within the programme. There is also the UK Youth Parliament- elected young people, aged 11-18, contribute to political decision making. You can find out more about this here: https://nya.org.uk/ukyp/

Both the Youth Parliament, and the UK Parliament have Select Committees. These groups can be made up of representatives from the House of Commons, House of Lords, or a combination of these. They consist of different Parliamentary groups who work together to focus on a specialist topic. Select Committees often seek out input from the public, of which children and young people are welcome to contribute. You can check the Parliament website to find out which inquiries are open and seeking submissions currently. Perhaps there is a topic you are interested in and wish to share your opinion on. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/committees/give-evidence-to-a-select-committee/

UK Parliament do offer school trips, although these are often high in demand it may be an option for Kenwood in the future. There is also the Learn with the Lords virtual session available, in which a member of the House of Lords can connect with students for a Q&A session. During my trip to Parliament, I was able to meet up with Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central where our Nether Edge campus is based. We had a great chat about Kenwood Academy and our provision, as well as some of the challenges facing the SEND sector currently. Abtisam herself worked as a teacher before moving to law and then politics. It was interesting how many of the MPs and Lords I met who has personal experiences with education, and really heartwarming to hear them praising the efforts of teachers and support staff. Abtisam has kindly offered to support our students in learning about Parliament by offering a Q+A session, which will be arranged for after the Summer holidays.

Attending the UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador Programme was a brilliant experience- I enjoyed every minute, and hope I can channel my enthusiasm for this programme back into Kenwood and inspire our staff and students. The 18-25 year old age bracket has consistently the lowest voter turnouts. It is more important than ever to empower young people to take an interest in our Parliament system, and understand how politics affects all of us. Our students at Kenwood have so much to offer, and I hope that as a school we are able to support them to play an active role in democracy. I would also recommend the course to any of my colleagues working within the education sector!