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Posted: Friday 4 February 2011

Pupils attend First Minister's Questions at Scottish Parliament

S3 pupils studying Scottish politics as part of their Modern Studies course attended First Minister's Questions at Scottish Parliament on 3 February. Ashley Neilson [S3] reports.

scottish parliamentWith the educational advisor we recapped exactly what the Scottish Parliament does and how it works. We learned who our MSPs are and about exactly what will happen come the election in May.  

We then went into the main debating chamber to watch First Minister's Questions. Alex Salmond was quizzed by the opposition leaders as well as other MSPs. They discussed law and order and scrutinised the new proposal of scrapping short sentences and replacing custodial sentences with community service. Opposition leaders Iain Gray (Labour) and Annabel Goldie (Conservative) opposed the idea, saying that many criminals simply wouldn't attend their sentences and that these punishments weren't nearly harsh enough for such serious crimes.

Then the parliament discussed the introduction of national assessments and the new curriculum in Scottish schools. The debate became very heated and the other MSPs got very involved in backing their leaders and heckling the First Minister.  

I thought the trip was really interesting and we all really enjoyed the insight into the workings of Scotland's governing body.

 

 

Tags: Modern Studies

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