Students were kept busy last week with a range of activities designed to evaluate the political world around us:

Model United Nations:

Our Year 12 Politics students took part in a leadership project designed to raise awareness about COP26 and the action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.  

Teams of Year 12's took part in an exciting opportunity to exercise their political skills in the shoes of diplomats in a model United Nations. Students considered climate change in the UN Security Council and represented the 15 permanent members including China, France, Russia, UK and US, as well as non-permanent members such as India and Mexico. They worked hard to use their diplomatic and speech writing skills to make amendments and gain an attempted resolution.  

Democra-tree Form Competition:

A competion was launched to encourage the blossoming politicians among our students and to grow hope for the future. Form groups are encouraged to grow their future in a democratic society. Year group forms will be given a seed in compost to care and nurture over the next two months. The healthiest and tallest plant will win a prize!

Forest of Promises:

Students were invited to write their promise to the planet to help with climate change and to write their demands to world leaders at COP26.  Students displayed leaves on a ‘tree of promises’, shared online with other schools and sent to COP26.

Alex Chalk MP visit: 

We were delighted to welcome our local MP Alex Chalk, Conservative MP for Cheltenham and Solicitor General. Alex delivered a talk to our Sixth Form Politics students, helping to bring politics alive and explaining life as a front bench politician. He answered a wide range of questions - from how to improve UK democracy, to social mobility, 'levelling up', his work in prison reform and justice and solicitor general, local government concerns, and to the recent tragic death of Sir David Amess. He spoke passionately about encouraging more political activism amongst young people and the importance of our democracy. We are extremely grateful to Alex for taking the time to visit us during Parliament Week.  

Our thanks to Ms Cluer (Politics Department) for her hard work in organising such a successful week.