Last Friday, 2 pupils in Year 6 went to Downing Street to hand in a White Paper that they have been involved in developing.
The White Paper is about the importance of ensuring that we support children’s mental health and wellbeing as well as providing increased education on this topic for all children across the country – not just for children who are lucky enough to have ISpace as part of their PSHE curriculum like our school do. It also calls for children’s voices to be heard directly as to what they feel is important. Both pupils have been involved in the ISpace wellbeing forum which brings children together to discuss what they feel they need to improve their own wellbeing and discusses the problems they have been facing during lockdown.
Here is their account of their exciting day:
It was a really exciting day – we took the tube to Westminster station. Unfortunately we couldn’t see Big Ben because it was covered in scaffolding. We had to wait outside Downing Street for the officials to check all of our documents – they knew all our names and they even knew where we live!
After they had let us in, and the adults had shown their passports, we had to go through security – just like at an airport – hand bags and watches taken off and checked and then walking through an x-ray machine.
We then chatted to the really friendly policeman outside Number 10 Downing Street who told us that Boris Johnson was not at home because he was in America talking to President Biden. He showed us his gun, bullets and Taser machine. The front door was very shiny!
When we had taken some pictures, we knocked on the door and gave our white paper to a lady who said she would pass it on to a member of the government to look at. Lets hope Boris gets to read it!
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When we left Downing street we went to see the Queens horse guards who have to stand very still in their post.
We walked up to Trafalgar Square, had lunch and then came back to school.
Not many people actually get to go up to the door of 10 Downing Street. We were very lucky to have that opportunity.
Let’s hope that the White Paper plays a part in improving education for children’s mental health and children across the country are given further opportunities to have their voices heard.
