Democracy Week [2 of 4 events] - Bellingham Middle School Council

On Monday I was able to spend some time at Bellingham Middle School, where I met with the School Council, who had just been elected literally that morning! They were bright, interested and full of questions on representation, by an MP, and a school council; we talked for nearly an hour and I listened to them debate how they would like to improve their school. On top of that I also got to listen to their award winning Year 8 Northumbrian Piper. Democracy Week provides an opportunity to focus on citizenship, representation, the British parliament and our values, what MPs do and so much more. Bellingham is a school I have visited many times and know well; it is a really good example of the 3 tier system working well in a rural context. The complexities of providing good schooling in a significant rural area, are not easy, but Mr Jones and his team of teachers, the governors led by Trish Taylor, and a lot of very involved parents, do a great job.