Teachers’ Institute – Mrs Douglas aims for ‘Gold Ambassador’ status

Mrs Douglas, a Pastoral Leader at Freebrough academy, who runs the student Academy Councils, has recently had the wonderful opportunity of spending three days in the Houses of Parliament, learning all about democracy in action at the Teachers’ Institute.

The programme allows teachers and other educational professionals to experience an intensive, informative and unforgettable opportunity based at the Houses of Parliament in London. This will enable her to become a Teacher Ambassador.

During her time there, Mrs Douglas attended a question and answer session with John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, viewed a debate in the House of Commons regarding education, went to a reception which was attended by Nicky Morgan (Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities), had a tour of the House of Lords and spotted lots of famous political faces! There were presentations from people who work at every level in Parliament (politicians, select committee staff, researchers, special advisers to name but a few), which have given Mrs Douglas an incredible amount of knowledge that she can now begin to share in the Academy. Mrs Douglas said, “The Teachers’ Institute was the opportunity of a lifetime, I will never forget my experiences in Parliament. I look forward to sharing this with students and staff alike.”

With responsibility for the Student Academy Councils, and ensuring that the student voice is represented in the Academy, Mrs Douglas is already working hard to ensure that the experiences she had in Parliament are used within Freebrough to promote student understanding and experience of Democracy.

Mrs Douglas is going to aim for ‘Gold Ambassador’ status, which involves sharing the work that Parliament does with teachers, students and the wider community. The three key messages from the trip are that “Parliament is yours, Parliament is evolving and Parliament is relevant” – an ethos which will fit in extremely well at the Academy!