On Wednesday 10th May, Year 5 travelled by coach to their capital city. On the journey they educated themselves on the Houses of Parliament and started their sightseeing with Wembley Stadium and The Shard in the distance.
Once they arrived, the children were welcomed into the Houses of Parliament and their first section of the day was in an interactive room. The tour guide informed us of the different roles within Parliament and where they stand in the House of Commons.
After this, Year 5 were led through the ancient building to Westminster Hall. This breath-taking hall was where Queen Elizabeth II was laid in state, it is also the home to many famous speeches by Barak Obama, Martin Luther King and most recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Whilst here we got a chance to see the oldest surviving coach in the UK. The Speaker’s State Coach was built for King William III and Queen Mary II around 1689!
Shortly after this our MP, Paulette Hamilton, met with Year 5 as she had received some letters from them and wanted to meet in person. She spoke to the children about her life and what it was like to be an MP. She was very inspiring and answered a lot of challenging questions posed by the children.
After a very busy morning it was time for lunch and the setting was Parliament Square Garden.
As they only had a short time left in London, Year 5 crammed as many landmarks in as possible. They saw Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III had been crowned four days prior, Westminster Bridge, St Thomas’ Hospital, The Cenotaph and Downing Street.
To finish the day, Year 5 had a snack and drink in Victoria Tower Gardens then got back onto the coach for their long journey back to St Gerard’s. What an incredible day!
