My Visit to My Parliament Tour and Workshop

The Education Service We are the Education Service and we work here at Parliament with school groups like yours. We teach people about Parliament. Phil is the Education Centre Manager. He looks after the Centre.

Arriving This is the Parliamentary Education Centre. I will come in through the black door in the picture.

Coming into the Education Centre I will go through security. It is safe. All visitors must do this. This happens to keep everyone at Parliament safe.

Security I will put my bag, belt and coat in a box. The box goes through a scanner. I will walk through a doorway which will scan me. After the scanner I collect all my things from the box. Have you ever been to an airport? This happens at airports too.

Setting the alarm off I might set the alarm off! Whoops! Metal sets the alarm off. It does not mean I am in trouble. It means that I will be scanned with another scanner. The Security Officer might ask me if I am wearing any metal.

Wearing a lanyard Everyone who visits Parliament must wear a security pass or ‘lanyard’. I wear it around my neck. If I find the necklace itchy, I can tuck it under my collar. I will keep the pass showing at the front so people know I have been security checked.

Bags I will put my bag in a cage while I am on my visit. The cage is locked until it is time to collect the bags. Only people who work in the Education Service can open the cages. It is a safe place to leave my bag.

Toilets I can go to the toilet before my tour and after my workshop. If I need the toilet at another time, I can tell my adult or teacher who can ask the Education staff.

Tour An Education Assistant will show me around the Palace of Westminster. The Education Assistant will tell me their name. Often groups are split in two. Our groups might go to different places. Our groups will be together in the workshop later.

Turnstiles and doors Some doors in Parliament are very old and heavy. I will go through security doors and turnstiles. These keep everyone safe. Education Assistants or Visit Officers will open the doors for me. They might look a bit like these.

Rules The rules at Parliament are like the rules at school. Two important rules are to listen carefully and to walk sensibly and quietly. People are allowed to take photographs in the workshop, in St Stephen’s Hall and in Westminster Hall.

Questions If I would like to know something, I can ask a question. I will put my hand up to ask a question like at school. Education Assistants and Visit Officers like answering questions about Parliament. They might ask me questions too. I could answer a question even if I do not know if my answer is right or wrong. Visit Officers and Education Assistants will not mind if I am wrong. They like it when people answer questions.

Different people in Parliament Lots of people work to keep Parliament safe. Doorkeepers wear black suits with a special gold buckle on the front. Their job is to make sure people only go into rooms they are allowed in. Some Police Officers at Parliament carry guns. They carry these to keep everyone safe. These would only be used in an emergency. Smile at the Police Officer and they may smile back!

House of Commons and House of Lords MPs, Lords and Baronesses work in these rooms. I might not be allowed inside them because they are working. I might watch from upstairs in the Public Gallery. I can sit down up here. If I go inside the chamber, I must not sit down. Only MPs, Lords and Baronesses are allowed to sit down in these rooms.

The workshop After my tour I will go to a workshop. A Visit Officer will lead my workshop. They will tell me their name. There might be different activities, and I might move around the room. I will learn more about Parliament in my workshop. This is Dan. Dan is the Visit Officer Manager. He leads workshops too.

MPs The Member of Parliament for the area (constituency) where my school is might come and meet my group. Sometimes they are working in other places and cannot come. I can put my hand up to ask my MP a question.

Annunciators I will see some TV screens. These are called annunciators. The screens with a red background tell everyone what is happening in the House of Lords. The screens with a green background tell everyone what is happening in the House of Commons.

Annunciator bells A loud bell tells MPs that they need to go and vote. The bell rings twice and is very loud. If I do not like it, I can cover my ears. The bell also rings when the Parliamentary day starts and ends. Does this happen in your school? The annunciator makes a quieter ‘bing’ noise when a different person starts talking in the House of Commons or House of Lords.

At the end of my workshop I will get a badge to take home as a memory of my day. This might be at the end of the workshop, or after I have been to the toilets. The Visit Officer will bring the cage for me to collect my bag.

Questions Answers Do people who work at Parliament get security checked? People who work at Parliament have a special security check before they can start working there. Why do some people wear plastic passes?People wearing a plastic pass work here. What if I don’t feel well?If you don’t feel well, tell your teacher. They will ask someone who works at Parliament what to do.

Key vocabulary Key VocabularyExplanationSimilar words constituencyThe area where people live. The country is split into 650 constituencies.Area; part; place where people live. election Where people are chosen to do a job. For Parliamentary elections everyone over 18 can vote to choose them. Choosing MPs; voting to choose an MP. Government The government is the group of people in charge of running the country. It is made up of people from the biggest political party in Parliament. People who run the country; the Conservatives (the governing party ). Houses of Parliament This is the name of the building that Parliament meets in.Palace of Westminster; ‘Parliament’. laws Laws tell us what people can and can’t do and what will happen to help the country run. (E.g. Soon people will not be allowed to smoke in cars if there is a person under 18 in the car too. This is to keep people healthy.) Rules. legislateThe process of making a law.Writing laws; making laws. monarchThe monarch is the King or QueenKing; Queen; Queen Elizabeth II; sovereign. MPMP is short for ‘Member of Parliament’. Parliament The place where Members of Parliament and Lords work to make laws and represent you. political party A group of people with the same ideas about how the country could be run the best. Not all political parties have seats in Parliament. Group; team. politicsThe ways people decide how to run a country.Decision making. representMPs speak for the people who live in their constituency.Speaking for. scrutinyTo check and look into the decisions that are made in Parliament.Checking; looking at someone else’s ideas/work.