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Esh Winning teacher rubs shoulders with political powerhouses!

Huge congratulations to Kaye Burns, a teacher from County Durham, for beating hundreds of applicants in securing a truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Kaye took part in the ‘UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador’ programme and as a result, pupils at Esh Winning Primary School will massively benefit. 

Debates, Q&A sessions, and in-depth discussions 

This rare opportunity gave participants the chance to watch debates within the House of Commons and House of Lords, and to deepen their knowledge on the role of MPs, Lords, doorkeepers and select committees.

Armed with this new comprehension and firsthand experience, teachers are encouraged to now share what they’d learned over the three-day course, educating their students on matters such as Parliamentary procedures in classes and assemblies.

In addition to watching debates, candidates were also given the rare chance to quiz Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons. 

Sir Lindsay used the opportunity to thank teachers for their hard work and for encouraging young people to take part in school elections and debates.

He told the fortunate group: “Without you we wouldn’t have a new generation of politicians coming through. “Who knows you might even be teaching the next MP, Prime Minister or Speaker.”

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Congratulations to Kaye for taking such an inspiring initiative to learn more about politics and parliament! Two things that can certainly be hard to grasp at the best of times…

“Your dedication to expanding your knowledge will surely benefit your students and your own understanding of the world around you.”

A once in a lifetime opportunity she won’t be in a hurry to forget

The unique experiences just kept coming for Kaye!

The teacher also met with her local MP, Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham), and together they discussed some pretty critical issues.

Topics included:

  • Improving the mental health of children and young people
  • The impact of long wait times for referrals into services that support children and the ways in which children are taught that they have a vital part in shaping the future of local areas
  • UK Parliament
  • Our laws and policies.

Kaye said: “This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, never did I think that I would be able to visit Parliament, let alone see and speak to members of our government.

“I asked Mr Speaker the first question, which was to share his journey to Parliament and how we as teachers can inspire the next generation of leaders.”

Lord McFall, the Lord Speaker, said: “The Teacher Ambassador Programme is exceptionally well-regarded by the participants each year, and I welcome the opportunity to explore the work of the House of Lords with such a dedicated audience.

“As a former teacher and one who has a continuing engagement with young people, I know how keen they are to understand how politics works in practice. This successful initiative is a great opportunity to encourage that interest.”

Esh Winning School is a Schools North East Partner School. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner Programme, click here.

We love to hear good news from North East Schools, to share your news with Schools North East please tag @SchoolsNE on Twitter or fill in this short form.

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