The first Aspire Schools' Parliament of 2026 took place on Friday 20^th March 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 16 Aspire academies proved excellent 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:

• Teamwork: Tackling a variety of challenges to highlight the importance of good communication and working together with calm focus
• 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

This time, we were honoured to be joined by James Mustoe, Cornwall Councillor for Mevagissey and St Austell Bay, and remotely by Anna Gelderd MP, Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall. Anna spoke to the children about her responsibilities to her Cornish constituents and about the job of being an MP and fielded lots of questions from her attentive audience.  Thank you to James and Anna for taking the time out of very busy schedules to attend, it was much appreciated by all.

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. These children will be the leaders of tomorrow and the skills they are learning today will help them in that journey. It's also great to see so many Aspire schools working together. County Hall does a wonderful job in hosting this regular event and making local politics a welcoming place to be."

This year's first Careers Day for Aspire children will take place at County Hall in May.