Working with young people and trying to inspire them to achieve their dreams is the main reason why I am in politics.
I was honoured to be invited to Highover JMI primary school in Hitchin to speak to their young pupils about what it means to be their MP, and how I work for them and represent them and their families in Westminster.
The questions (all written by pupils only with no teacher involvement!) ranged from “Why did you want to become an MP” to “How can we try and reduce use of plastics” to “How do we put more funding into the NHS”. I answered them as well as I could, but I must be honest and say that it was genuinely difficult!
I am full of admiration for Mrs Hayes and her team (many of whom I managed to speak to afterwards, about the successes and challenges of both Highover and the school system in general). We have some fantastic schools in Hitchin and Harpenden, but still much more to do, and I am committed to working with our heads and teachers in order to keep improving things.
I look forward to coming back sometime soon.