Icy roads and cars slipping along the car-park did not stop Michael Fabricant MP being welcomed to The Friary and he added a great deal to a hectic last day of term.
Initial meetings showed our MP had a great knowledge of the school and Lichfield community and he offered fantastic support in terms of school development, dealings with the District and County Council, and about setting up a school radio station.
A swift tour was followed by a 30 minute Q&A session with Y11 and Sixth Form students where topics ranged from as far apart as Brexit to HS2, LGBT to youth politics, gender equality to local housing developments, and university applications to pathways into politics. His responses were quick-witted, well-informed, direct, delivered with great energy and showed a strong awareness of the interests of young people.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, said: “We were delighted that Michael fitted us into his hectic schedule and our students hugely enjoyed the opportunity to converse on wide range of topical issues. He was hugely engaging, self-deprecating and certainly sparked a lot of debate which carried on through the day. This was a real plus for all who attended and students have requested more political speakers to follow in his wake.”
Jamie Checkland, Chair of Governors , added: “Schools are complicated organisations to run but Michael’s appreciation of the challenges we are facing and his readiness to offer solutions was very impressive.”
