Bryanston School teacher is UK parliament teacher ambassador

The award, from the UK parliament Teacher’s Institute comes as more than 50 pupils have registered on the politics course for the next academic year.

Head of politics Will Bridges said: “We’re delighted to have received the highest level of award as a teacher ambassador for the UK parliament.

“There is no doubt that Brexit and now the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted the younger generation to think much more about democracy, voting and the importance of political debate.

“As an ambassador, we will of course continue to build on the increased interest in the subject with our own pupils and will take steps to ensure that every year group has some form of engagement with politics.

“However, in the next academic year and once current restrictions have eased, we will also now be visiting primary and prep schools across Dorset to engage with teaching staff and pupils of all ages and explain the work and respective roles of the House of Commons and House of Lords.”

Securing the gold award from the Teachers’ Institute was the culmination of a year of concerted activities completed by Will Bridges and his colleagues at Bryanston.

This included a three-day training programme at the Houses of Parliament that provided prospective teacher ambassadors with the opportunity to question the House of Commons Speaker and the Lord Speaker and to hear from parliamentarians of all parties about their work and priorities.

North Dorset MP, Simon Hoare recently visited Bryanston as part of a series of special talks to enthuse all pupils about the world of politics.

The School also organised a number of educational visits, lectures and a mock election where more than 85 per cent of the School’s pupils casted a vote.

A political conference for pupils originally planned to be held after the Easter holiday has been deferred as a result of the Government’s decision to close schools in response to the current pandemic, and will now take place in the Autumn term.