House of Lords Peer visits Queen's School
The Queen’s School in Chester hosted a talk from a member of the House of Lords on Friday 20th January 2012 to provide an opportunity for the girls to know more about the Nation’s political and parliamentary process.
Lord Sharkey met with sixth form students for an hour to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords. This was followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster. Key topics included the Reform Bill and the transition process, life peerage, the EU’s influences, gender and age balance of MPs and peers, election processes and work experience.
Edward Palfreyman, Geography teacher at Queen’s School who arranged the visit for the School as part of the school’s Holdich Group activities said, “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to interact with someone who knows the parliamentary system inside out and ask questions, as it can sometimes seem far removed from their daily lives.”
Lord Sharkey added; “The questions after my talk showed how much the girls had learned and benefited from my visit. They really had grasped some of the challenges we face in reforms and changes to the law. Some excellent questions, not unlike The House!”
The visit was arranged through the Lord Speaker’s “Peers in Schools” programme, which gives members of the House of Lords an opportunity to visit schools and colleges across the country.
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Lord John Sharkey is the Deputy Prime Minister’s Strategic Communications Advisor and chairman of the Liberal Democrats’ Fairer Votes Campaign. He was Chair of the Liberal Democrat’s General Election Campaign.
John has held many high profile positions, in particular he was Chairman and co-founder of the advertising agency Bainsfair Sharkey Trott, Managing Director of Saatchi and Saatchi UK, with responsibility for running Margaret Thatcher’s 1987 election advertising campaign and assisting the Turkish Government in their preparations for accession into the EU. He was also Deputy Chairman of Saatchi International, Chairman of BDDP Holdings Ltd, Chief Operating Officer at Blue Arrow Plc and Chairman of Highland Partners Europe.
John has been a member of the Hansard Society council since 2004 and became the Honorary Treasurer in 2007.
The Lord Speaker’s “Peers in Schools” programme has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 30,000 young people. This continuing outreach programme sends members of the House of Lords into schools and colleges across the country to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum. For further information, see the Lord Speaker’s web page at www.parliament.uk/lordspeaker
The Queen’s School’s Holdich Group is an organisation to encourage, stretch and challenge knowledge within girls in the Sixth Form.
Photos available in high resolution by downloading at:
http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/news/the-queens-school-chester-cheshire
Captions:
1. - (Standing) Hannah Roberts, 18, Wrexham, Katherine Lewis, 16, Chester, Lord John Sharkey, Laura Stockton, 17, Frodsham, Laura Sears, 18, Whitchurch and Caroline Turner, 17, Burton. (Seated) Gina Bolwell, 16, Flintshire, Taneth Everett, 17, Conwy, Vicky Gerrard, 17, Chester and Emily Kelly, 16, Chester.
2. - Lord John Sharkey talks about the nations political and parliamentary process
3. - Lord John Sharkey talks to in excess of 80 people about the House of Lords
4. - Head of Geography Edward Palfreyman with Lord Sharkey and Chair of Governors at The Queen’s School, Dr Christine Laine.
Press Contacts: Mrs Jane Taylor, The Queen’s School, City Walls Road, Chester, CH1 2NN
Tel: 01244 312078
Email: jtaylor@queens.cheshire.sch.uk
Jane Harrad-Roberts, Marketing Projects, Projects House, Skips Lane, Christleton, Chester, CH3 7BE
Tel: 01244 330000
Mobile: 07785395705
Email: jane@marketingprojects.co.uk
• The Queen’s School, Chester, has achieved top marks in all categories in its December 2011 Independent Schools’ Inspectorate and Ofsted inspections. The full report is at: www.queens.cheshire.sch.uk
• A new ‘Fast Facts’ mini-brochure is a great summary about life at The Queen’s School and outlines why every girl deserves to know more. Copies and information on FREE ‘Taster Days’ from Jane Taylor, Admissions Officer. A new prospectus is now available for the Lower and Senior Schools.
• The Queen’s Lower School came top in the North West and 14th out of the 100 top prep schools in the country in the Sunday Times Parent Power survey.
• The Sunday Times’ Parent Power league tables for 2011, give The Queen’s School top ranking in West Cheshire, coming fourth in the North West.
• Two new bursary schemes have just been launched for the Senior School for Art and Medical studies to add to others for study at the Senior School.
The Queen’s School, Chester, Cheshire is one of the country’s leading independent schools for girls aged 4 – 18. With a nationally renowned reputation for academic excellence the girls consistently achieve outstanding results at GCSE and A level.
The school celebrates young women and their potential. It prepares the girls to face their future with self-belief, energy and a ‘can do’ philosophy. Academic success is only one aspect of life at Queen’s and all girls are encouraged to explore their abilities, interests and passions in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. From drama, art and music to sports, community work and overseas adventures, the girls benefit from an education of the whole person, experiencing new challenges inside and outside the classroom.
At The Queen’s School, it seeks to develop in each student a risk-taking spirit, leadership abilities, confidence and a love of learning. The individual approach ensures each girl has the support she needs to thrive and succeed throughout her time there.
The school inhabits elegant Georgian and Victorian buildings, situated in a beautiful setting within walking distance of historic Chester. These surroundings prove a constant reminder of the heritage and traditional values that have shaped the school for more than 130 years.
Sarah Clark is the head teacher of The Queen’s School with Mrs Felicity Taylor as head of the Lower School on Liverpool Road. The school has a number of bursaries available to very able students.
Past pupils include Beth Tweddle, Olympic Gymnast, Sarah Kelly, founder of the UK’s Neuromuscular Centre for muscular dystrophy and Vivienne Faull, the first woman to become Dean of an English Cathedral.
More information atwww.queens.cheshire.sch.uk on Twitter @TheQueensSchool and The Queen’s School App can be found by searching Apple’s Appstore for the keywords “Queen’s Chester”
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