Bridgwater MP Ashley Fox visited St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Bridgwater as part of UK Parliament Week, speaking with pupils about his role and chairing a full classroom debate.
Ashley Fox spent the afternoon with Year 5 and Year 6, talking to children about the Bridgwater constituency, how he became an MP, his previous career, and what a typical day looks like in the House of Commons, from constituency casework to speaking in debates and voting on new laws.
Pupils then took part in a structured debate, with Ashley Fox acting as the Speaker.
The children debated the Motion “That school children should be allowed to use Artificial Intelligence to do their homework”. They took turns to make speeches in favour and against before voting. Perhaps surprisingly they voted against being allowed to use AI to do their homework! The session ended with pupils quizzing Ashley about local issues, life in Westminster, and how decisions are made in Parliament.
Ashley Fox said, “It was a real pleasure to visit St Joseph’s and to see how engaged the pupils are with politics and public life. They spoke confidently, listened to one another and put their arguments across very clearly. If this is the next generation of voters and community leaders, we are in safe hands.”
Headteacher Alison Frost said, "The children were excited to have the opportunity to work with Ashley Fox. They enjoyed the debating experience and I feel this will help them as they continue their educational journeys. The Year 6 children are looking forward to hopefully being shown around Parliament when they visit London on their residential next year."
Ashley Fox has offered to continue working with the school as they plan a future visit to Parliament in London, so that pupils can see the House of Commons in person and build on their Parliament Week activities.
