Salisbury MP visits Winterbourne Earls School to talk democracy

John Glen HP visited Winterbourne Earls Primary School on Friday (November 22) to discuss democracy, among other things.

The Headteacher and Chair of Governors gave him a tour of the school during which the children explained enthusiastically what they loved about the school - the friends they make, the variety of trips, the opportunities to represent the school in lots of sports, the positive relationships with the school staff and the high-quality lunches!

In Year 5, the children told the MP they loved DT, having spent a day designing and building wooden bridges. In Year 3 they spoke enthusiastically about the recent trip to Paulton’s Park where they learnt how to use computer coding to programme rides which had encouraged them to make model working carousels.

Mr Glen then went on to explain to the children why he had become an MP and how his life is split between his constituency in Salisbury and his work in Parliament in London. The children had prepared a number of testing questions which he answered in great length.

When asked what he is championing at present, he talked about his wish to upgrade Salisbury’s theatre and to see more facilities for children and young people. After expressing their concerns about homelessness, Mr Glen said that he supports Alabare, always joining the annual ‘Big Sleep Out’ in the cathedral to highlight the plight of the homeless.

The School Council then hosted tea and cake with Mr Glen where he was further quizzed about championing the voice of children, including government funding.

One child asked about free school meals for more students and Mr Glen said, "Balancing finances is always tricky but research confirms that if we give support to children from ages 0 up to 7, then we are giving the very best start to everyone".

Mr Glen said that he thoroughly enjoyed the visit, reporting that he was impressed that the children had taken time to prepare some very searching questions.