Friday 9th March saw excited Government and Politics and Philosophy students of Franklin College visit our capital city, with a particular focus on somewhere of uppermost centrality to civic life in our country – our Westminster Parliament.

A character-building 4:00am start was quickly overcome upon our arrival in London, as we embarked on a stimulating visit to the Imperial War Museum, an institution of great interest to anyone concerned with 20th Century history.

Then came the main event – an extensive tour of the Houses of Parliament, followed by an engaging workshop on the democratic value of select committees. To visit a place so etched in political history and important to all of our lives as citizens was a most rewarding and valuable experience.

Three hours of free time, affording us the opportunity to explore one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities on earth, then followed, before the long and obligatory trek back to Grimsby ensued.

Overall, this excellent day was one which not only gave us an unforgettable experience of the international city that is London, but also made us all think a little more carefully about one of our nation’s foremost societal institutions.

By Jack Simpson

Tuesday 13th March saw four Franklin College students – Daniel Khan, Kelvin Hall, Sheldon Ellis and I – participate in one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking debating competitions in the country.

Known as Debating Matters, it is centred on the notion of engaging young people with contemporary topics of a controversial nature and that it certainly did, as we debated the contrasting but equally relevant and stimulating issues of government support for biofuels and whether a referendum should take place on our EU membership.

To be able to analyse the complexities of these questions and having to constantly justify our own position in the face of scrutiny from judges, opponents and audience members was an enriching and totally worthwhile experience.

Whilst we were ultimately not successful in reaching the national final, we departed the competition proud of having reached the regional final and of our performance in both debates, not to say intellectually stretched by the whole experience.

By Jack Simpson

Franklin College recently hosted the finals of the Aviva Humberside Primary and Secondary Indoor Athletics festival.  This involved a total of 500 children, including local schools Great Coates and Nunsthorpe Primary as well as Oasis Academy: Wintringham.  Oasis Academy: Wintringham scored a magnificent 116 points to win their section and now go on to represent Humberside at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield next month.  The winner of the primary schools category was St Andrews School from Kirk Ella in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Twenty students from Franklin’s Leadership Academy officiated and recorded for the event which was being run by the North East Lincolnshire Schools Sports Partnership in conjunction with UKAthletics.  Leadership Coordinator at the college, Julia Sales, said, ‘We are extremely proud of the way our students supported this event, they really made a contribution to a very happy and successful day’.  This experience adds to the wealth of activities that Franklin College students run which give them a great advantage when looking for employment and to progress onto Higher Education.