Bournemouth East MP, Tobias Ellwood, welcomed 38 pupils from Bournemouth Collegiate School to the Houses of Parliament this week. The Y7-Y11 pupils enjoyed a busy schedule which included a tour of the Palace of Westminster and the House of Lords.
After their tour Tobias Ellwood invited the pupils to Committee Room 8 where he explained various aspects of politics, such as the democrat process and how Parliament fits in with local government and the European Union. The pupils learnt about Tobias’s background, education and rise in politics. Tobias also talked about his position as PPS to the Minister for Europe , The Rt. Hon David Liddington MP in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Pupils were then invited to ask Tobias questions, ranging from why he wanted to become an MP, how he achieved his ambition, what he enjoys about his role and what he actually does!
BCS pupils proved themselves to be challenging political debaters and Charlotte Saville, a year 9 pupil, took the opportunity to grill Mr. Ellwood on the reasons for the proposed changes to GCSE’s. Charlotte said, “It was good to be able to hear firsthand the reasons for these changes.”
Harry Butler, a year 8 pupils said, “What a day! It was a great visit and I enjoyed every single part of it. It was really interesting to hear about what inspired Tobias to become an MP.”
Alison Davies, Assistant Principal at Bournemouth Collegiate School added, “Pupils gained a real insight and understanding of how Central Government works and functions as well as an understanding of the work that Tobias Ellwood does as a local MP in Bournemouth. An MP’s life is certainly varied!”