UK : Small School, Big Voice: Pentre Pupils visit Parliament

London : A once-in-a-lifetime experience saw pupils from Pentre Church in Wales School in Chirk proudly represent their school and community at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Two pupils, accompanied by two members of staff, travelled to London where they were given the opportunity to experience democracy at the very heart of the United Kingdom.

The special occasion was inspired by the lifelong vision of the late Sir David Amess, who believed passionately that primary-aged children should have the opportunity to experience Parliament, debate real issues and understand how democracy works.

Pentre School were delighted to be put forward by local MP, Steve Witherden, giving our children the opportunity to take their voices all the way from our small school in Wrexham to Westminster.

But what made the occasion even more extraordinary was that our Pentre pupils were the only children from Wales taking part! What an incredible honour! Standing in Parliament, our pupils were not only representing Pentre Church in Wales School. They were representing Wales, their voices mattered, their opinions were heard and they embraced every moment with confidence, enthusiasm and pride.

Catherine Ivanoff, Acting Headteacher of Pentre School said,

“We could not have been prouder of them, throughout the whole experience, the children were exceptionally well behaved and were wonderful ambassadors for Pentre School, their families, their community and Wales.

“They approached this amazing opportunity with maturity, curiosity, excitement and truly did us proud.

“A huge, heartfelt thank you must also go to our dedicated members of staff who accompanied the children to London.

“Opportunities like this are made possible because of staff who are willing to give their time, energy and care to ensure our children can enjoy experiences that reach far beyond the classroom.

“We are also incredibly grateful to Steve Witherden MP for putting Pentre forward and helping to make this remarkable opportunity possible for our pupils.

“For a small school like ours, this was an enormous moment.  It was a day filled with excitement, learning, democracy and an enormous amount of pride.”