Today we welcomed Theresa Villiers, Member of Parliament and her Caseworker, Ella Sen to Ark Pioneer Academy.
The guests were welcomed by Ms Ryan, our Principal and then enjoyed a tour of the school from Academy Council members in year 10, Sophia and Zaid.
Ms Villiers then met a larger group of pupils to share what makes Pioneer special and talk about their aspirations for the future, including studying psychology, working towards being a chartered accountant and studying to become a surgeon. Ms Villiers noted how impressed she was with their future hopes and dreams.
Pupils then had the chance to question Ms Villiers on key issues that mattered to them, including questions such as:
- What do you think of the cost of living crisis? Sam, Y9
- Is it harder to be an MP with current cost of living issues and inflation? Faris, Y9
- What’s your take on regeneration programmes in local areas – are they good or bad? Karima, Y10
- What do you think about limiting tax on higher income households? Ellie, Y9
- Did we make the right choice leaving the EU and why? Sam, Y9
- Are there any positive solutions that can help towards climate change? David, Y7
- Can we decrease the price of things that are eco-friendly? Middle or low incomes can’t afford it – and that’s a large proportion of our country. Ellie, Y9
Pupils enjoyed meeting an MP and hearing all of Ms Villiers responses. We were very proud of how they represented our school!