Student teachers visit UK Parliament to explore parts of primary national curriculum

Last month, students studying on our BA Primary Education (BAPE) with QTS course travelled to London to visit UK Parliament at the Palace of Westminster.

As part of their Primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) curriculum, the intention of the trip was to develop our students understanding of teaching Fundamental British Values.

Students in year one and two of BAPE were joined by Programme Leader Tracey Kilcoyne, Cohort Leader Louise Connolly and Personal Tutors – Katie Furnival, Stefanie Jacklin, and Dr Emma Rogers.

Previously, staff from UK Parliament’s Education Centre visited campus to deliver seminars to students studying on our PGCE, Primary Education and Primary Teaching Studies courses.

Subsequently, students were then offered the opportunity to visit UK Parliament and benefit from one of the Education Centre’s free workshops.

The visit provided the opportunity to engage with a tour of the buildings and understand the rule of law and democracy. On the tour, students sat in the visitors’ gallery and observed presentations being delivered to the House of Commons on topics such as disability rights.

Directly linked to the national curriculum for primary age children, the trip provided an opportunity for students to gain a wider experience of history, social moral and cultural events, alongside the chance to join teacher networks and get involved in wider educational debates.

Our students also had the opportunity to observe protests and lobbying of MPs regarding the Farmers Inheritance Tax. Free time was also factored in so that students could enjoy other tourist attractions and historic landmarks such as Big Ben.

Tracey Kilcoyne, Programme Leader for BA Primary Education at BGU, said: “External visits like this provide students with the opportunity to engage with events and places of interest that will enhance their teaching, as they can be directly referred to once they qualify.

“Further to this, such trips develop resilience amongst students and enable them to explore beyond their locality, including the opportunities open to them and their children – drawing on additional or free resources available.

“Students commented that they had never been to London and valued the opportunity to travel further afield from Lincolnshire to enrich their experiences. They even received free online resources to take into school to us within their own teaching.”

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