Democracy Week (4th event) Ponteland Students Question Time debate

Votes at 16, the cost of further education, apprenticeships and the ability of young people to be heard and involved in a community were the issues of the day in brilliant public debate on Wednesday. The event was organised by the groundbreaking Ponteland Community Partnership, with help from some great local sponsors and Dan Brown from my Westminster office  
Three issues were debated at length with the 6 person panel:
- Should we lower the voting age to 16: the room was split almost 50/50 with a small majority in favour to my eye on a show of hands.
- Has University or further education become too expensive?
- Does the gap between the young and old prevent the young having a voice in Ponteland?
The stars of the show unquestionably were the 3 local students from Ponteland High School who spoke really well. Dan is a former Ponteland High School head boy and he chaired the event superbly. Most of all my thanks to everyone who came along, and the Ponteland Community Partnership,who are leading the way across Northumberland

Democracy Week [3 of 4 events] Visit to Heddon on the Wall First School

Heddon First School is going from strength to strength - with numbers up, including many of the children from the new regiment 3RHA at Albemarle Barracks, and a really positive atmosphere around the school. On Wednesday I got the chance to be grilled by the children for nearly an hour, after having caught up with the headteacher, Mr Wheatley, and 1 of the Governors. Later I was also able to be part of the presentation of the school defibrillator, of which I will blog more in due course.

The children asked great questions including some really tough ones like:
- Does the Queen always agree with the government? This was a tough one both to explain and demonstrate to a First School. I hope I did her Majesty proud in my explanation of how she rubber stamps legislation, but cannot block it.
- Do you have your own seat in parliament? No - but the whip always sits between the Speaker and the Prime or other Minister on the front bench
- Do you get on with other MPs in parliament? Yes - some Labour ones are open and normal and I am close to, and I have genuine mates on the Conservative side. We are all taking a while to get to know the new SNP team, and there are not many Liberals left.

One final point to add about Heddon First School: it is one of the schools that is leading the way, amongst the many schools in my patch, in the ways in which they use the internet and social media to interact with parents, pupils, and the wider public. They have an active Twitter site, and very good website that is a mine of information: http://www.heddon-school.co.uk/ 
This is, in my view, the way ahead for any school in the 21st Century. Parents and pupils like it and it is a great way to reach out to and be integrated into the community.

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. 

 

Democracy week - 1 of 4 local events: discussion with Corbridge Middle School school council

Good discussion on friday about representation, politics, climate change, why parties exist and the fact that "there is no I in Team" with Corbridge School Council, Councillor Jean Fearon and 5 members of the Peacekeepers Party who won their May election. Hope to welcome some of them to Westminster in the spring.

Question Time comes to Ponteland as part of Democracy Week next Wednesday

Come along and get involved in a public debate . I am really looking forward to this weeks many Democracy Week events, one of which will feature a students debate And public question time at the Ponteland Memorial Hall on Wednesday evening: 

Programme

18.00 - Arrivals

18.35 - Topic 1 - Should we lower the voting age to 16?

18.55 - Topic 2 - Has University and Further Education become too expensive?

19.15 - Break

19.30 - Topic 3 – Does the gap between the young and old prevent the young     having a voice in Ponteland?