Published on 02/02/17
Democracy was brought to life for Dame Bradbury's Year 6 pupils in the shape of a visit to the Palace of Westminster, the first of our extensive trips and visits of the term.
We were lucky enough to be greeted by Uttlesford MP Sir Alan Haselhurst, a veteran of parliament, and his two very able assistants showed us around the corridors and chambers of power, which were dripping in gold leaf, leather, wood paneling and, of course, history.
True to form, our pupils were full of questions and Toby and Alex did a great job of satisfying the children's thirst for knowledge.
Having spent the morning debating homework policies with Sir Alan's assistants, we walked up Whitehall, past the Cenotaph and Downing Street among other things, to our next destination, The National Gallery, where the debate switched from politics to paintings.
We looked at a variety of artworks ranging from one that was 600 years old to one that was 100 years old. We read these paintings by following clues given by colour and found out about the ingredients of paints and pigments used hundreds of years ago.
So many paintings to see, each with its own story! Again, the children were full of theories and opinions about what they saw, some accurate and some not: but all valid nonetheless! An exhausting day, but one which will stay with the children for a long time.