Mrs Helen Grant, Member of Parliament for Maidstone and the Weald, visited St Simon Stock Secondary, Maidstone on Friday 04 March to take part in a student-led ‘Question & Answer’ session.

Greeted by two School Prefects, Nimi and Finley (pictured below), the enthusiastic students spoke to Mrs Grant about their views on climate change, showed her a display they have created and handed her a letter collating their beliefs. The MP promised them their letter would sit on her desk in Westminster and would be with her as she made the key decisions that will impact our generation.

The Prefects then accompanied Mrs Grant to the drama studio for a ‘Question & Answer’ session with a group of 27 students who posed many insightful questions to the MP, ranging from what drove Mrs Grant into politics, to her views on the recently passed Policing Bill that impacts the right to protest. The MP’s role as Special Envoy for Girls’ Education was talked about in some detail and students asked about the progress made in this field. Discussion was respectful but engaging, and students were able to voice their honest opinions.

During the session, Mrs Grant also took the opportunity to pose her own questions to the room in order to gauge the opinions of young people on issues such as climate change, the war in Ukraine and more. 

The event was a great success and demonstrated the students' aptness for politics and their interest in social activism.