Both staff and pupils from Abacus Primary were met in Westminster Hall by their guides, before embarking on an extensive tour of the Houses of Parliament, which included viewing the chambers in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, the Royal Gallery, the Queen’s robbing room and the Voting Lobbies, as well as discussions on the history and architecture of what is one of the most recognised buildings in the world.
Following the tour, the children were taken to a specially converted committee room in Portcullis House that enables the pupils to take part in role plays, where they were able to learn about how Bills are passed, and the various levels of Government that exist in Britain, as well as mock voting exercises, where the children actually voted to reduce school holidays! Mark was able to join the children following their lesson for a question and answer session during which the pupils grilled Mark on various issues including whether he would he support a move to reduce the voting age, and how Mark initially became and MP.
Speaking about the visit, Mark Francois said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Abacus Primary School to Westminster. I think it is important for young people from my constituency to take an early interest in the democratic process, and I hope the children enjoyed their tour and subsequent learning session. The children certainly proved themselves to be a very bright and engaging group and I was impressed with the quality of the questions asked, as well as the obvious interest among the group in politics and how our Government works. I look forward to staying in touch with Abacus Primary, not least as I am now aiming to visit the school in June of this year”.