Primary Pupil Parliament holds debate Q&A at Matlock County Hall
Representatives from the Trust’s primary schools visited Matlock Hall, where they met members of the Derbyshire County Council and held a debate on the topic of civic responsibility.
Thirty-four children from Spencer Academy Trust’s Primary Pupil Parliament went on a trip to Matlock County Hall, where they had the opportunity to speak with Derbyshire County Councillors and hold a debate onsite.
The day’s itinerary began with a Q&A session with Councillor Alex Dale, Councillor Julie Patten and Civic Chair David Taylor. They then split into their four steering groups to discuss their vision and goals over the upcoming year. The steering groups, which address community, environment, inclusion and learning, are modelled on the Trust’s OneSpencer plan. Pupils determined specific actions to take before the next meeting, such as promoting litter picking and identifying a local charity to support through school efforts.
After the steering group meetings, children had another Q&A session with Barry Lewis, who leads Derbyshire County Council. They were then given a tour of the council chamber before holding their debate on the topic, “We have a responsibility to be active in our local community.”
Children chose which side to argue and made many thoughtful points on both sides. Those in favour posited that everyone has a responsibility to support each other, particularly those who need help; those against argued that, as children, their focus should be on learning while adults look after the community. At the conclusion of the debate, 30 children agreed with the statement and four disagreed.
Jude, a Year 6 representative from Chetwynd Spencer Academy, said of the experience, “I loved debating in the council chamber and imagining people in their debating things about the real world. I learnt that democracy is important and that you might not always get your way but you’ve got to take that one and move on to the next issue.”
Eilidh, a Year 4 student also from Chetwynd, added, “I thought that the local councillors that we met sounded posh but I know that I could be like them and do their job if I wanted to.”
The day concluded with an award ceremony, in which Civic Chair Taylor presented them with a Pupil Parliament badge that they proudly wore for the rest of the day.
While the trip was a valuable learning experience, children also enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other. “I loved meeting children from other schools and I found it interesting that lots of use felt the same and said the same things when we were debating,” said Eilidh.
Alice Digges, who organised the event, reflected on the success of the trip: “Our Trust Parliament trip to Matlock County Hall was a wonderful way for children to meet and begin to build relationships with each other. They learned about the roles and responsibilities of local councillors and were given advice about how best to carry out their role as a school councillor and Trust Parliament representative. Having decided which steering group they would like to be a part of, children spent some time thinking about the year ahead, making plans and setting goals. They shared with each other so confidently and listened carefully to different points of view. Children left feeling inspired by their experience at Matlock County Hall and excited about working with other during the year ahead.”