Politics and democracy were the topic for discussion this afternoon in P5 – 7. Emma Currie, former MYSP kindly visited to give the children an insight to the democratic processes in Scotland and the UK. This is in support of our Social Studies focus this term on Local and National Government.
Emma explained how there are three tiers of government: our regional council, the Scottish parliament and the UK parliament. The children then discussed the roles and responsibilities of each and how the process works locally and nationally.
Emma talked about the rights and responsibilities we all have. She encouraged everyone to recognise the contributions we can make for the benefit of ourselves and our society through taking an active role in politics. This links well with our learning about UNICEFs rights of the child; in particular, Article 12 (Respect for Children’s Views), Article 13 (Sharing Thoughts Freely) and Article 15 (Setting Up and Joining Groups).
Emma shared her experiences of working in politics from an early age. Her interest was first piqued when she became a pupil council member at primary school. We are currently in the process of electing our own new pupil voice committee members. Perhaps one of our members will become a future politician too!
We took the opportunity to practice our literacy skills during the session, using the 5 R’s of note taking: Record, Reduce, Recite, Reflect & Review.
The boys and girls asked a range of interesting questions and shared their views freely. It was a very interesting session. Thank you Emma!
# Responsible Citizens
