Internationalism and Democracy are two of the six pillars of the Round Square and over the past two Fridays we have had two very different but equally engaging reflections on these themes.

Last week our local MP Tim Farron spoke to the school. With coffee cup in hand (he says when it goes cool he knows it’s time to stop talking) he explained his job as an MP and how he first got into politics. His journey began when he watched the classic film, Cathy Come Home, and at the age of 16 joined Shelter, the homelessness charity for £1.50. He tackled questions from the pupils ranging from the local issue of pollution in Lake Windermere to discussing how he balances local and international priorities.

Afterwards there was a chance to speak to him about our social outreach in the community and he suggested we might also get involved with the local allotment which grows fresh produce for the Windermere Food Bank. We also got a chance to discuss the coming election and the possible imposition of VAT. No good news there I’m afraid. Tim Farron is pretty certain, if Labour get in, the policy will be imposed.

This week, a member of our newly elected Senior Council, Martin, led an introduction to the Model United Nations. He gave a short history of the UN and explained how fellow pupils and students could get involved debating issues ranging from peace-making, to women’s rights to environmental issues. The fundamental idea is that each pupil becomes a country representative and learns about the issue at hand from that country’s point of view. Then, by forming liaisons with other countries, called ‘blocs’, they adapt forward motions to get agreement on international actions that could be effected to solve or ameliorate the problem.

There are plenty of higher level thinking and communication skills which can be learnt through this process as well as potential opportunities to work with other schools and visit universities. It promises to be a very exciting journey and we hope many pupils will take part.

Frank Thompson

Head of Windermere School