UK Parliament Week marked in schools across the Overseas Territories

Between the 18th and 24th of November, schools across the UK and the Overseas Territories marked this year’s UK Parliament Week. The initiative was created in 2011 in order to promote education and engagement with the UK’s system of parliamentary governance amongst young people. In the Overseas Territories, 2024’s Parliament Week offered a valuable opportunity for primary school-aged children to learn about the UK Parliament, as well as the democratic system of their Overseas Territory. Though OTs that lack a major permanent population, such as the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, do not feature legislative assemblies, all British Overseas Territories with a substantial number of permanent residents have their own democratically elected legislatures. As a result, Parliament Week plays a crucial role in ensuring that the next generation of voters across the Overseas Territories are inspired to get involved in their territory’s democracy. Here are a few snapshots of how the occasion was marked across the Overseas Territories.

Cayman Islands

Schools across the Cayman Islands marked Parliament Week with a series of classroom-based activities, including quizzes and mock elections. The week also saw the ‘Speaker Bear’, a gift from Speaker of the Commons Lindsay Hoyle, visit locations across the Cayman Islands that played a prominent role in the territory’s democratic development, such as the Castle of Pedro St James where the islands’ assembly met for the first time in 1831. The Speaker Bear also visited several of the Cayman Islands’ unique natural sites, including the Cayman Turtle Centre and the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

Montserrat

Montserrat celebrated UK Parliament week with a number of events held across the island’s primary schools. In addition to learning about the UK’s Parliamentary system, pupils were also given the opportunity to find out more about Montserrat’s own Legislative Assembly. The island also received a visit from the Speaker Bear. The image below shows the bear’s visit to Brades Primary School in Montserrat’s northwest, one of two government-operated primary schools on the island.

St Helena

In St Helena, schools participated in UK Parliament week with the help of a dedicated activity pack sent from the UK by the Speaker’s Office. In addition to learning about the UK Parliament through the tasks included in the packs, children on St Helena also had the opportunity to hear from members of the island’s legislative council during their assemblies. Pupils from St Paul’s Primary School were also given the opportunity to visit the Legislative Council Chamber, where they participated in a learning session with some of the island’s councillors. St Helena’s Children’s Champion, Councillor Gillian Brooks, praised the week's events, saying that it was ‘wonderful to see how engaged our young people are when it comes to topics such as how the parliamentary system works in St Helena, and what can be done to improve the lives of people living on the island’. The Speaker Bear also got the chance to explore St Helena, including paying a visit to schools across the island.