Justin Tomlinson MP recently visited Moredon Primary School to give an assembly and give the school the opportunity to pass its very own Parliamentary School Bill.
Justin outlined the campaign that he focused on in Parliament - school libraries, school sport and financial education for young people, all of which the children thought were good campaigns.
Students then voted on which area they wanted to bring forward a Bill on - with school sport winning by an overwhelming majority.
One side of the room became the House of Commons, the other side the House of Lords. The children at the back became the Select Committee, carrying out the vital task of choosing their favourite sports stars and teachers to consult on their plans. That was where the agreement stopped. The Bill, carried by the nominated Clerk, went back and forth between Commons and Lords, with both sides disagreeing on how much extra sport they wanted and the House of Lords enjoying their power to say no. After a bit of ping-pong between the two Houses, the Moredon Primary School Parliament eventually passed a Bill that called for more sport every week in schools.
The Clerk then had to take the Bill to the 'Queen' who happily granted it Royal Assent.
Justin Tomlinson MP said "It was great to be able to come to Moredon Primary School to meet the whole school and engage them in their very own Parliamentary process. The children really got stuck in to how democracy works and how laws are made. We even discovered what happens when the 'Queen' refuses to pass a Bill and that the 'Queen' can't simply arrest all of the children! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I was very impressed by their knowledge and enthusiasm for how Parliament works."
