Once there, they were taken on a tour of the building, where they were able to visit both chambers (The Lords and The Commons). Inside, they learned lots of interesting facts about the building and the people who have occupied it and were surprised by some of the deep-rooted traditions that date back hundreds of years, such as MPs still having their own coat peg with a place to hang their sword, should they wish. The children were also taken aback by the scale of the complex, which hosted several other services inside for the workers, including bars and a post office.

As if that wasn’t enough, Tonbridge Judo instructors visited us on Tuesday in order to lead a session on self-defence as part of the Leavers’ Programme. The session included lots of advice and guidance on what to do if the children feel threatened, with the underlying message being that prevention and de-escalating is a far better approach than confronting and relying on self-defence skills. That said, the children greatly enjoyed the practical parts of the session and learned some basic judo skills to help keep them safe in an emergency.