Lord Touhig embraces in-depth Q&A session with Seaton Sluice Middle School
It’s not everyday a school gets a direct call with a Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom!
Pupils at Seaton Sluice Middle School were very fortunate to embrace this special moment, with Lord Touhig taking part in a 45-minute online Q&A session as part of the popular ‘Learn with the Lords’ programme.
The programme was designed to bring the UK Parliament to life for students, helping them develop their understanding of the vital role of the House of Lords.
It’s safe to say that pupils at this Northumberland school definitely took advantage of such a unique opportunity!
Students were fascinated by the Lord’s responses
During the event (which took place on Wednesday 24 April), Lord Touhig talked about the role and work of the House of Lords, before answering questions from students on a range of topics.
Questions the students eagerly asked included:
- How did you become Lord?
- Can you sum up a normal working day in the House of Lords?
- Do you find out things before the public do?
- Is there anything that’s not a secret anymore that you can tell us about?
- How do you feel about Lords who sleep on the job or who rarely attend Parliament?
- We’ve learned about some MPs who have been tragically attacked and murdered while doing their jobs – do you ever worry about your own safety?
- How old are the youngest and oldest members of the Lords? Do you think that there should be tighter rules around this?
The students were highly engaged during the session and found that Lord Touhig was very interesting; all pupils involved are members of the School Parliament and had spoken to their ‘constituents’ prior to the meeting to find out what they wanted to know from Lord Touhig.
They each took it in turns to ask their questions and thought the answers were really fascinating.
Honest answers to important questions
One of the most interesting answers was in response to the question “we’ve learned about some MPs who have been tragically attacked and murdered while doing their jobs – do you ever worry about your own safety?”
Lord Touhig was thorough and honest in his response, saying it’s something he takes very seriously – and when he was younger, someone threatened to kidnap his baby!
He said that he’s happy for people to criticise him face-to-face but really doesn’t like anonymous threats or unpleasant online comments. Completely fair and understandable!
Mrs McCloskey from Seaton Sluice Middle School said: “I’m very impressed with all of the pupils involved in the discussion; the level of thought that went into the questions was fantastic.
“The School Parliamentarians plan to go back to their constituents and inform them of the answers Lord Touhig gave them in preparation for the Mock Elections in June.”
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Excellent work from the Seaton Sluice pupils! Engagement breeds enlightenment, and through active participation, students not only expanded their knowledge, but also empowered themselves. We look forward to seeing the impact of this unique opportunity.”
Seaton Sluice Middle School is a Schools North East Partner School . If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.
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