On Wednesday 26th November another busy Aspire Schools' Parliament took place at Cornwall Council; an initiative created back in 2023 to inspire primary-aged children to get involved in local government, and dovetail with UK Parliament Week. 

Pupils from 15 Aspire academies proved wonderful ambassadors for their individual schools and were inquisitive, passionate and articulate throughout the busy day.  They enjoyed various workshops, learning more about how democracy works in Cornwall:

Polling Stations: Discovering the process of how we vote

• Budgeting: Tackling tough decisions around managing public funds
• Debate: Taking part in a live debate within the main Council Chamber
• Meeting Councillors: Engaging with local leaders

The pupils experienced a mock vote in the main debating chamber after lunch and had the chance to grill Leigh Frost (Cornwall Council leader) and Hillary Frank (Children and Young People portfolio holder) on those perennial hot potato topics. Cllr Dick Cole joined in too to help teach them about local politics. 

Organiser Mark Harding from Indian Queens Primary School commented,"We're really proud to be able to offer children the opportunity to express their views and give them a voice to help shape their future. After all, these children will be the leaders of tomorrow and the skills they learnt today will help them in that journey. It's also great to see so many schools working together. County Hall has done a wonderful job of hosting and made local politics a welcoming place to be."

Another Pupil Parliament will take place in March 2026.