Visit to The Astley Cooper School from Lord Balfe October 2018
![](/_site/data/images/news/17/7764D0BF-94C7-4222-871F-5B91F74A18CC.jpeg)
The Astley Cooper School hosted a talk from a member of the House of Lords on Friday 19 October to encourage students to become more engaged with the political and parliamentary process. Lord Balfe met GCSE, Sixth Form, and Politics students to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords, followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at the Houses of Parliament generally.
Headteacher Edward Gaynor said,’ Lord Balfe has had an extraordinary career in politics as a Labour MP, an MEP, and a Conservative MP who worked as David Cameron’s trade union envoy. He was made a life peer in 2013. His insights into politics and his experience of working with many of the key politicians over the last forty years were fascinating.
This was an excellent opportunity for our students to interact with someone who knows the parliamentary system inside out, as it can sometimes seem far removed from their daily lives, but thanks to Lord Balfe’s presentation they have had a thorough insight into the workings of Westminster.’
The visit was arranged through the Lord Speaker’s Peers in Schools outreach programme, which was established across the UK in 2007 and has so far involved around 90,000 young people. Members of the House of Lords visit schools, academies and colleges to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.