We left Tottenham and travelled by public transport to central London. Going to the heart of Westminster was one thing but meeting Andrew Adonis was something else! Lord Adonis was very welcoming, inspiring and actually quite funny.
Lord Adonis discussed the challenges in education when Labour came to power in 1997 and the steps taken by government to improve education, including investment in schools, Sure Start, Teach First and London Challenge. He said he was encouraged by the great progress made by London schools, including Northumberland Park, but that our education system would still benefit from more funding.
Lord Adonis asked our opinion of Academy Schools, private education, and whether schools should have sixth forms. As a class we were generally quite positive about academies and sixth forms and had an interesting discussion about the role of private schools in a free society.
The trip was lovely and Lord Adonis has invited us to return next year for a seminar on social inequality so we must have been well behaved (Mr Coward and Mrs O’Connor agree!).
By Meltem and Zubaydah – Year 10