Monday 31 March 2014 saw P7 children of St Joseph’s welcome a very important visitor to their class, Ms Jackie Baillie, MSP. Jackie was there to bring a personal dimension to P7’s Interdisciplinary Learning Study, ‘The Scottish Parliament’. But if Jackie thought this was to be an easy question and answer session, she was to be surprised! P7 asked several deep and searching questions and their teacher, Miss Claire Boyd, was delighted with how eloquently the children addressed their questions and how they also came back at Ms Baillie on her responses.

Ms Boyd said later, “P7 gave Jackie quite a grilling”. However, Jackie was more than able to answer and the children learned such a lot thanks to her.

The focus of the children’s interest was, unsurprisingly, the latest hot topic The Referendum. However, they also concentrated on questions in and around Ms Baillie’s function and duties at Holyrood. The children have immersed themselves in their study, with a few budding politicians among them thoroughly enjoying all their learning. They have even created a large ‘contemplation space’ in their classroom and invited Ms Baillie to sit in it when she visited.

So impressed with the children was Jackie that she extended an invitation to the children to visit the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh….a visit