Caldew Lea Primary School were delighted to welcome our local MP Julie Minns on Friday 8th November, to talk to the Key Stage 2 children about becoming an MP and her experience of growing up in Carlisle.
The children really enjoyed a Q&A session with Julie and asked some brilliant questions. Julie explained about how the voting system works in the House of Commons and talked about what the day-to-day aspects of her job involve, both in London and in Carlisle.
The children were really keen to talk about how democracy works, both in the Houses of Parliament and in their school; two of the Year 6 pupils, Ama and Riley, spoke about how Year 6 run weekly ‘pupil voice’ sessions in school with every class from Year 1 to Year 5, to ensure every child in school has a voice and everyone gets a say in school life.
In their presentation, Ama said, “We do this on a Thursday at the end of the day. Year 6’s are split into groups and visit classes Year 1 to Year 5. It’s important to get everyone’s opinion because we need different viewpoints to make decisions. We have chosen to do it this way, so everyone gets an opportunity to shine. We enjoy it because we get to be like teachers and talk to different people.”
Riley added, “The purpose is to get everyone’s opinions on key topics in school. We think this helps people understand important events. This is our form of democracy. Year 6 have gained skills in public speaking, communications and kindness.”
Apart from serious matters of governance, the children also managed to discover that Julie has a dog called Milo who ‘sometimes’ gets to sleep on her bed in the morning and that her favourite colours are blue and green. A very informative and fun session was had by all.
