MPs John Bercow and Liam Fox address Portishead pupils

Politics has had a major impact on the news agenda in 2016 and High Down Junior School pupils in Portishead were given a taste of what it is like inside local and national Government.

Students visited the Houses of Parliament back in September and children in years five and six were last week treated to a Skype question and answer session with Speaker John Bercow MP.

He discussed everything from his day-to-day role trying to control MPs, through to Donald Trump’s presidential election win.

The junior school pupils were then visited by several Portishead town councillors. Cllrs Jean Lord, Sue Mason and David Oyns joined chairman Lesley Cottrell to talk about their roles and some of the biggest local issues.

Parliament week drew to a close with a visit from MP Dr Liam Fox who took questions from pupils.

Teacher Ben Culverhouse said: “There has never been a more important time to engage young people in democracy and voting, and this has been a fantastic and enriching experience.”