The day started with a fantastic debate about potentially levying tax on sugary drinks. Before the debate begain the children found out about what the roles of The Welsh Assembly Members are and involved the children wearing some unusual hats to help guess about the roles.
Then the debate began and both the adult helpers and I were wowed by the quality of discussion that was displayed by the children. They put across some fantastic, sophisticated points of view and were able to both oppose each other's points of view and back each other up with supportive comments.
The organiser was also really impressed and commented that we are potentially in the presence of some potential future Assembly members. After listening to a very interesting range of view the vote was cast that 10 would vote Yes for a levy, 16 for No and 2 decided to abstain.
The children are now keen to take part in more debates in class and I look forward to seeing what they can do - given the opportunity to do some in-depth research on a chosen topic!
After the debate we enjoyed a quiz with a twist - being given the answers and having to find the questions using a set of resources which was great fun.
The victorious quiz team!
Before lunch we were given a tour of the Senedd and thanks to Reuben's mum I managed to get arrested by the armed police offices (all in jest, luckily!) The officers then kindly talked to the children about their roles in security and posed for a photo with us outside the Senedd.
After lunch, we had a fascinating tour of the Millenium Centre and even got to go backstage (which is a rare occurrence) as they are currently in a period of transition between shows. We also enjoyed watching a live jazz performance in the foyer:
We just had time for a quick run around in the park before heading home to Penygawsi. A fabulous day out for both Year 5 and Year 6. A big thank you to Maisie's mum and Catrin's nan for supporting me with the trip and to Reuben's mum for giving up her spare time on top of her working day to make the trip extra special for the children.
I have shared an album of photographs and video clips of the day on One Drive that the children can access and download any they may wish to keep.
Mr Ball
