During the first week of half term, some Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from Kingswood School in Bath took part in a nationwide Children’s Parliament.
The event bought together children from all over the country to discuss climate change ahead of COP26, and to have a wider debate around current issues such as the impact of robots on employment opportunities and Covid-19.
The event itself was hosted by Microsoft, and subsequently became a world record holder for the largest children’s Parliament ever hosted, beating the previous record of 270 children.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened proceedings via this video before David Davis, the former shadow Home Secretary and current Secretary of State for the EU, fielded questions from the children. The event also carried a reflective tone as the late David Amess was a driving force in setting the event up and growing it to the scale it reached. The event was held in his honour.
15 Kingswood children from across both year groups volunteered to take part, where they shared their views on climate issues and how we could look to address them. Two of the Kingswood pupils, Rose and Lola, prepared statements to deliver live during the event.
All the children were able to contribute through commenting on debates and voting on key issues. Year 5 teacher, Mr Whitby, commented, “It was wonderful to see the Kingswood name popping up so frequently with thoughtful and interesting comments.”