Angela and Ailie visit the Houses of Parliament
22-09-2015
On 15th September 2015, Angela and I were lucky enough to visit the Houses of Parliament. We were invited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), for their ‘Growing Your Small Business’ report findings. Introducing the event was Ex-Shadow Spokesperson for Education and Employment, MP Barry Sheerman.
We were there to learn about the importance of Chartered Managers, how companies like ourselves can benefit from employing and training staff to become Chartered Managers, and how best to access this support. In addition to the formal element of the day, we had time for an insightful tour of the Houses of Parliament!
- It mirrored our long held belief that supporting staff through further study and qualifications is beneficial not only for the individual, but also for the wider team, company, and most importantly for the people we work with and for (schools, students, parents, etc).
- The new heatmap which has been produced by CMI shows where management qualifications and support can be accessed throughout the UK. This is particularly beneficial to Study Links, as we have many students aspiring to be tomorrow’s leaders. With this heatmap we can quickly identify where they can access the right support to help them on their journey.
As a visitor to the Houses of Parliament, you’re allowed to sit in on live debates!
House of Commons: Whilst we were in the House of Commons, the debate about National Insurance Contributions (Rate Ceilings) Bill: Second Reading was broadcast live on BBC. Although the debate didn’t attract full attendance, it was a privilege to see British Politics in action.
House of Commons LIVE debate 15.09.2015 – National Insurance Contributions (Rate Ceilings) Bill: Second Reading
House of Lords: In the House of Lords – a room you may be more familiar with because it has the Queen’s throne in – there was a Debate on further incremental reform to address the size of the House [of Lords]. This is a hot topic in the UK at the moment, and listening to all the differing views was indeed educational.
House of Lords
House of Lords with the Queen pictured on the throne during the 2015 State Opening of Parliament. Image courtesy of parliament.uk.
Famous Faces…
During our visit we saw a few famous faces who may be most familiar to our Hong Kong and Mainland China students and families…
- Lord Patten, who oversaw the handover of Hong Kong to China.
- Alan Mak, an MP who was sitting in at the House of Lords debate – dubbed the first ethnically Chinese MP, raised in York, and an alumni of our partner school St Peters School, York!
Tour of the Houses of Parliament
We were kindly given a tour of the Houses of Parliament by one of the Black Rod Office Staff. Our guide was full of knowledge, and went into great detail about the differences between and the purpose of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, which was very relevant to the current aforementioned debate.
The building was magnificent to say the least; there was a feeling of history, tradition, and power.
One particularly interesting room we saw was the Queen’s robing room – This is where the Queen robes and crowns herself before the annual State Opening of Parliament.
The Queen emerging from the Robing Room, for the State Opening of Parliament.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THE CROWN: We learnt that other than when the Archbishop of Canterbury crowned the Queen for her coronation in 1953, only the queen has and may crown herself.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THE QUEEN’S TOILET: Through a hidden door in the robing room is the Queen’s private bathroom – it has the second oldest flushable toilet in the UK!
Highly Recommended
In summary, it was a delightful and truly educational day in terms of management, history, politics and architecture. I would highly recommend a visit to the Houses of Parliament both to anybody from the UK and those from overseas.
Visitor Book with Angela & Ailie’s visitor remarks
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Special Thanks
- Special thanks to the CMI for our invitation; and
- Special thanks to the kind gentleman from the Black Rod’s office who devoted his break time to giving Angela and myself a private tour.
Useful links from Parliament:
- About Parliament (how it works and what’s its purpose) http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/
- The role of MPs, Lords, Principal Officers and Staff
http://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/ - Plan a visit
http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/ - For a virtual tour of the Houses of Parliament
http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/ - For students and teachers, specific educational resources are available http://www.parliament.uk/education/
Want to visit the Houses of Parliament?
If you would like our help in arranging a visit to the Houses of Parliament for you as an individual or as part of a group, don’t hesitate to get in touch. hello@studylinks.co.uk | +44 (0) 1274 679710
By Ailie Fan, Operations Director at Study Links