Gladstone Park Primary School in Brent, part of Anthem Schools Trust, was pleased to welcome local Labour MP, Dawn Butler, to the school to speak to some budding young journalists there.
In January, Gladstone Park set up Gladstone Park News, a pupil journalism team that produces content such as updates
and videos about the school and shares them on social media platforms like Instagram.
Two pupils, Layan and Veronica, had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Ms Butler and interview her about leadership, ambition and the future.
The pair asked the East Brent MP a range of questions about her biggest career highlights, her honest thoughts on the rise of artificial intelligence and even whether she would ever stand to be London Mayor.
The experience forms part of the school’s commitment to giving pupils meaningful opportunities to engage with the wider world, build communication skills and develop their confidence as future active citizens.
Ms Butler also met with a member of Gladstone Park’s Parent Staff Association, Fatema Amanyar, who is volunteering her time to run English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes for free for our parents each week.
At present, 20 parents are taking part in the classes and the school has a waiting list of another 20 parents.
Laura Green, Headteacher at Gladstone Park Primary School, said: “It was a real privilege to welcome Ms Butler to Gladstone Park and we would like to thank her for giving up her time to visit us.
“We were very proud of Layan and Veronica for conducting the interview with Ms Butler with such integrity, determination and respect, embodying our school’s core values.
“MP visits like this are so important because they help children to understand how their voices matter beyond the classroom. All our pupils were outstanding ambassadors for the school and we are immensely proud of them for making this visit such a success.”
David Hatchett, Chief Executive of Anthem School Trust, said: “We are delighted that Ms Butler visited Gladstone Park Primary School, giving the school the opportunity to showcase the fantastic work taking place every day in our classrooms.
“MP visits like this are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the dedication of our staff and the enthusiasm and creativity of our pupils.
“We look forward to welcoming MPs and other dignitaries into all the schools in our trust, as we create ambitious and successful learning environments in which every child thrives.”
