On Friday 7th March, a group of Key Stage 4 History and Sociology students from across the school travelled down to the capital city for a day of sightseeing, sunshine and new experiences…
A number of those students received an early knock on the door from Driver Paul who got an eager group to the train station for an 8.30am train to Kings Cross. After a pleasant outward journey followed by a brief lesson in London travel etiquette (which side to stand on, hold on tight on the Underground etc.), we headed to the Natural History Museum in Kensington. Students were given the chance to explore the exhibits and report back their findings.
Another trip back on the Underground followed; this time seeing us emerge as a group surrounded by City bank skyscrapers, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and further afield, the Shard! A settled River Thames allowed us to cruise at ease up stream taking in the main sights; Shakespeare’s Globe, the Tate Modern gallery and numerous famous bridges before arriving in Westminster between the London Eye on the south bank and the Elizabeth’s Tower (not Big Ben – that’s the name of the bell inside) on the north bank.
A stroll round Parliament Square and posed pictures with statues of notable figures (Churchill, Gandhi, Mandela to name just a few) followed and then we headed into Parliament itself. After a quick airport style security check, we were shown around the main areas of the Palace of Westminster – this included the chance to sit on the benches in the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
On finishing up in Parliament, we made out way back outside into the springtime sunshine and tackled rush hour on the London Underground! Leaving two members of staff stranded on the platform at one point, we made it back to King’s Cross and indulged in dinner before the 7pm train departure. A last minute panic before leaving wasn’t enough to disrupt a settled run out of busy London and back to the place we call home. Thirteen hours after leaving York, students and staff returned having sampled the bright lights of London…all now ready for a long and restful sleep! Thank god the trip happened on a Friday!
Student feedback:
Pupil A: “I have never been on a train before, never been to London before, never been on the Tube before…and I have never been on a boat before! I was worried about the trip but I am happy I went because I achieved loads of first experiences. London was very big, but enjoyable”
Pupil B: “Best bit was all of it, it was my first time being in London! The most exciting bit was going into the parliament chamber where the MPs sit. The worst bit was how cramped it was on the Tube”
Pupil C: “It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I actually liked the whole day!”
Pupil D: “Best bit was sitting in the House of Lords (actually on the red benches) and the most exciting bit was the boat trip…I was exhausted at the end of the day, and still am! I would definitely like to go again.”
