We were delighted to welcome local Conservative MP, Robert Courts, to Kingham Hill today. Robert was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Witney and West Oxfordshire in the by-election in October 2016, and was re-elected in both the 2017 and 2019 General Elections. He currently serves as the Chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.
On arrival, Robert was given a tour of the school, following which he took part in a Question and Answer session with some of our pupils, including Sixth Form Politics students and members of our Octagon Academic Society.
It was an interesting discussion, allowing those present to explore some of the current issues in local and national politics. Our pupils raised questions relating to a wide range of topics including the war in Ukraine, the recent Autumn Budget statement, immigration, education reform, environmental issues, the prospect of the upcoming general election, the legacy of Brexit and Robert’s voting record in the Commons. It was very interesting for them to listen to his responses as he talked about his reasons for his voting choices and expressed how he views his role as a representative of the local community.
Opportunities to welcome public figures into School are a fantastic way to enable our pupils to become more aware of the world around them and gain a greater understanding of important issues. We hope to be able to welcome a representative from an opposing party into school to share their views with us, once the candidates for the expected General Election have been announced.