Meridan MP Visits Grace Academy Solihull

Following on from our successful visit to the Houses of Parliament in September last year. It was a pleasure to welcome our local MP, Saqib Bhatti, to Grace Academy Solihull on 01 March 2024. This was a fantastic opportunity to develop our students’ understanding of British Values and hear about how the electoral process works first hand. It also allowed students to understand the importance of exercising their right to vote so that they have a say in the way that our country is run. 

Saqib Bhatti also took time to meet with The Grace Academy Student Leadership team, which is composed of our Y11 and Post 16 leaders. The students’ had prepared some questions for Saqib that were important to them and to the local community. They had the chance to ask these questions and have a discussion about these topics to see what was being done in the local area. Key topic areas that were important to our students were what he has done to deal with issues such as crime, lack of job opportunities and the mental health provision. Whilst also understanding from a personal development point of view the journey of how to become an MP and the challenges that they can face. 

The students were an absolute credit to the Academy. They were all professional and composed during the meeting and they found this experience enjoyable and insightful. 

Safina Lawrence stated that “ I think that meeting the MP was an interesting experience. Saqib Bhatti was very welcoming and friendly and spoke about some of the ways he is trying to improve the community. Overall, I believe it was a good learning experience that will help me in the future if I ever want to explore politics”.

Ahana Modi also commented that “It was truly an insightful experience for me to meet the local MP, as it provided me with a significantly improved understanding of politics. I believe it is key for young people like us to acknowledge the importance and privilege of the democracy we live in and have an awareness of the notable society around us. I am very pleased to have been a part of such an experience and getting an opportunity to voice my opinions”.