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Al-Furqan Primary School
The Key to Success
Pupil Blog
Participation Certificate
Bringing UK Parliament Week into the Classroom
During UK Parliament Week (24th - 28th November 2025), children across the school took part in a range of activities designed to help them understand democracy, decision-making and how people can work together to make positive change. Activities were carefully adapted for each year group so that all children, from Early Years to Year 6, could engage in age-appropriate and meaningful learning.
At the heart of the week was a simple but powerful aim: to help our children understand that everyone has a voice, and that listening to others is an important part of democracy.
Year Group Highlights
Early Years (EYFS)
Our youngest pupils explored the themes of sharing, respect and working together through the story Smed and the Smoos. Children discussed how differences can be celebrated and how kind behaviour helps create a happy, harmonious classroom. Pupils worked collaboratively, practised turn-taking and shared ideas, helping them understand that listening to others is an important part of being part of a community.
Year 1
Year 1 pupils read The Squabbling Squirrels, using the story to explore cooperation, sharing and resolving disagreements. Children took part in a creative acorn activity before working together to create a class manifesto, using Parliament as an acrostic poem. This helped pupils understand that rules and agreements can be created collectively to support fairness and teamwork.
Year 2
Year 2 developed their understanding of UK Parliament, learning about the House of Commons, House of Lords, the role of Members of Parliament, as well as important symbols and traditions. Pupils recorded their learning in a neatly presented booklet, showcasing their growing knowledge of how Parliament works.
Year 3
Year 3 pupils explored how people can influence change by creating their own e-petitions on issues they felt passionate about. Using Diamond 9 resources, children ranked issues from most to least important, encouraging thoughtful discussion, justification of choices and respectful debate.
Year 4
Year 4 pupils focused on local democracy, researching their local Member of Parliament and creating informative posters about their life and what issues they are passionate about. Pupils then applied this learning by writing a formal letter to their MP, asking questions and sharing issues that mattered to them.
Year 5
Year 5 linked UK Parliament Week to their History unit on Ancient Greece, exploring the influence of Greek democracy on the Western world. Pupils compared Athenian direct democracy with modern UK representative democracy, before applying this knowledge through lively debates on issues they cared about, including free bus travel, longer school holidays and even whether PlayStation or Xbox is better!
Year 6
Year 6 pupils acted as Select Committees, investigating real issues within the school community. Pupils worked in sub-committees to interview a wide range of stakeholders, including the Headteacher, senior leaders, teachers, teaching assistants, the site manager, pupils from different year groups and parents. Committees investigated issues such as the condition of the playground, school toilets and access to after-school clubs. Findings were presented and collated into a formal report for the Headteacher to review.
We were incredibly proud of the maturity, curiosity and confidence children showed throughout the week. UK Parliament Week gave pupils a valuable opportunity to see democracy in action and understand that their voices matter, both now and in the future.
"Asad successfully led UK Parliament Week at Al-Furqan Primary School, creating meaningful opportunities for pupils across the school to engage with democracy and develop their understanding of Parliament. MashAllah, thank you for your efforts!" Ustada Sadyah Yafai, Headteacher
We were delighted to welcome MP Jess Phillips to our school during UK Parliament Week. She spent time touring the school and visiting each year group, taking a real interest in the learning taking place across the classrooms. Pupils were excited to share their work and explain what they had learned about democracy, decision-making and working together. It was a fantastic opportunity for children to see how the themes of Parliament Week connect to real people and real roles beyond the classroom.
‘‘It was an absolute delight to spend time with the pupils at Al-Furqan Primary School for their UK Parliament Week activities. The children had clearly put a lot of time, effort and thought into their work ahead of the visit, and I was pleased to spend time discussing this with them. Thank you so much for inviting me and congratulations on such a successful project.’’ MP Jess Phillips
We were also pleased to welcome MP Tahir Ali, who joined us as part of Careers Week. Following the Key Stage 2 assembly, he spent time with our Year 4 pupils, who had researched his early life, his role as a Member of Parliament and the issues he is passionate about. Pupils asked thoughtful questions and enjoyed the chance to speak with him directly, bringing their learning about local democracy and representation to life.
“Attending Al-Furqan Primary School’s Careers week was a 2025 highlight for me. I had the opportunity to engage with pupils during their assembly, and was especially pleased to see them engage in a parliamentary-style debating and select-committee style activities. The work of Parliament is at the heart of British democracy and values. Therefore, seeing young pupils learning about these processes and engaging with them is a perfect indication of Al-Furqan Primary School’s great contribution to the life and
values of our community and children.” MP Tahir Ali
Celebrating Our UK Parliament Week 2025 Success
We are incredibly proud to announce that our school has successfully completed UK Parliament Week 2025 and has been awarded a Certificate of Participation in recognition of our whole-school involvement and commitment to democratic education.
Throughout the week, pupils across all year groups engaged in a wide range of meaningful and age-appropriate activities, helping them to understand democracy, representation, and the importance of having a voice. From thoughtful discussions and debates to role-play and enquiry-based learning, children showed curiosity, confidence and maturity in exploring how Parliament works and why it matters.
This achievement would not have been possible without the enthusiasm, creativity and dedication of our staff, who worked hard to bring Parliament Week to life in their classrooms. We are also incredibly proud of our pupils, whose engagement, thoughtful questions and respectful discussions truly showcased the values of democracy in action.
We were especially honoured to welcome MP Jess Phillips and MP Tahir Ali into our school during this time. Their visits gave pupils a valuable opportunity to connect their learning to real people and real roles beyond the classroom, making Parliament feel relevant, accessible and inspiring.
UK Parliament Week 2025 has been a fantastic journey for our school community, and this certificate reflects the collective effort, passion and commitment shown by everyone involved. We look forward to continuing to build on this work and empowering our pupils to be informed, confident citizens of the future.
Well done to all—this is an achievement worth celebrating!
UK Parliament Week
October
Last week, we held an inspiring and collaborative training session for some staff, focusing on ‘Embedding Parliament and democracy across the school curriculum’. The CPD twilight session explored how we can naturally and meaningfully highlight these important concepts through the existing lenses of History, PSHE, SMSC, and British Values.
Rather than being an add-on, we discussed how the story of Parliament is interwoven within the historical narratives we already teach, and how democratic principles are a living part of PSHE discussions and SMSC development. It was all about finding those authentic, powerful links such as examining the evolution of voting rights of women in History, links between Athenian democracy and modern day UK democracy to exploring fairness and equality in PSHE, and understanding how British Values like the Rule of Law and Mutual Respect are the bedrock of a thriving democracy.
Keep your eyes peeled!
This is about enriching our children’s learning journey in a cohesive and engaging way. In the coming months, we invite you to watch for the fruits of this labour. You'll see it reflected in the depth of our childrens’ work and, most powerfully, heard through ‘Pupil voice’, as children confidently make these connections themselves.
We can't wait to see how a deeper understanding of democracy and active citizenship flourishes across the school, insha’Allah!
September
Becoming a UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador
It is a great honour to share that I have been selected as a UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador, representing Al-Furqan Primary School. This role provides a unique opportunity to deepen our children’s understanding of democracy and the way our country is governed straight from the seat of authority itself, the Palace of Westminster.
As part of this exciting journey, we have officially launched our Pupil Parliament Project, giving our newly elected Members of Pupil Parliament (MPPs) a voice in shaping school life. These young representatives will explore how decisions are made, how to debate respectfully, and, most importantly, how to turn great ideas into positive action.
To support them, we’ve introduced the MPPs Parliament Handbook , this is a fun and interactive guide that will help our pupils navigate their new responsibilities and perhaps teach them that leadership is about more than just having the loudest voice (leave that one for the class teachers!)
This is an exciting chapter for our school community, one that blends learning, leadership and a touch of British values. I look forward to seeing how our pupils grow through this experience and what they will bring back from their journey into the world of UK Parliament.
Watch this space for updates, photos, and maybe even a few mini debates coming soon to a classroom near you!
Ustad Asad
UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador