It was a real treat for me to take two delightful children on a Friday afternoon trip to County Hall’s debating chamber for our most recent pupil parliament meeting. Two representatives from every primary school in Rushcliffe were in attendance and brought with them notes from discussions that had happened back in their classrooms.
This time there were two topics up for debate. The first was an entertaining warm up debate so that the children could learn how to listen and discuss in the chamber. The children were tasked with establishing whether Jaffa Cakes were biscuits or cakes. We learned that this was not as trivial as it sounded, and that there were all sorts of tax implications for our favourite orange flavoured snacks.
The second topic of debate was the government’s handling of the pandemic. For this session, the children each shared their views on the an important issue that requires an approach of maturity and sensitivity. I was impressed with how well the children listened to one another rather than just forcing their point across regardless of whether or not it had already been covered. You’ll be pleased to hear that the contribution from Willow Brook was evidence based and certainly gave the rest of the debating chamber something to think about.
Our next parliament meeting will include questions for Ruth Edwards MP. We can’t wait!
