Students from across the UK invited to share their views on Parliament restoration

The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme has partnered with educational charity, Smart School Councils, on a programme of activities to hear the views of children and young people about the historic restoration of the Palace of Westminster.

Children and young people will be able to take part in the debates in school through the Smart School Councils’ Big Debate Club, a model which provides teachers with a range of free classroom and online activities.

The debates will engage students of all ages and abilities with questions and topics about the different elements of the restoration and renewal programme, enabling children to learn more about the Palace of Westminster and express their opinions and perspectives on the importance of the project.

Sarah Johnson, CEO, Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Sponsor Body said: “As we get on with the job of developing the plan to restore the iconic Houses of Parliament, it is important to remember that children and young people are the future custodians of this historic building. I am delighted that we are working with the Smart School Councils charity to hear the views of young people about the restoration and renewal of the Houses of Parliament.”

Schools will be able to upload their responses on a range of aspects of the restoration to the Big Debate Club website and these views will be used to inform the detailed and costed restoration plan which is being developed by the Restoration and Renewal Programme.

A further two Big Debate Club questions exploring the restoration of Parliament in relation to sustainability and accessibility will take place in June 2021. There will be a future series of activities later in 2021.

Schools that sign up to the Big Debate Club will also be provided free continued professional development (CPD) webinars giving an additional layer of support to help teachers to facilitate meaningful classroom discussions on the topic of Restoration and Renewal.

These activities are part of a range of work planned to engage the public across the UK with the Restoration and Renewal Programme.

Schools can participate in the debates for free by visiting https://bigdebateclub.com/