School visits are always an enjoyable part of my Parliamentary work, and now that the school holidays are over, and the new term has begun I am keen to continue with these.

Last week I spent a delightful morning at Castlefort JMI where members of the School Council put me through my paces, asking an impressive range of questions. These covered everything from free school meals, to what I do as an MP, and what it’s like on a typical day at Westminster!

On to Blackwood School this week, and my tour round the classrooms included a beautiful song for the Harvest Festival, a history lesson about “Towers, Turrets and Tunnels” and some very impressive singing in Spanish. This was followed by an excellent discussion with pupils, who told me about some of the charitable fundraising they have been involved with at school. The week ended with a delightful visit to Walsall Wood Primary School where I was quizzed by the elected school Mayor and members of the school council.

Since becoming the Member of Parliament for Aldridge-Brownhills in May, I have been privileged to visit almost all of our Secondary Schools too, learning about the excellent progress of Shelfield Academy, the wonderful productions held at Aldridge School and the excellent outreach work done by pupils at St Francis of Assisi. Whether I am at a Primary or Secondary school I really enjoy getting the input from young people and listening to their ideas and views.