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Nineteen Harris Experience students from Year 10 and Year 9 went to 10 Downing Street recently where they had a tour of the house, a careers panel discussion and took part in a variety of activities where they stepped into the Prime Minister’s shoes.

The careers panel was chaired by the Prime Minister’s speechwriter, while other members of the panel included the Deputy Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, an Events and Visits Officer and the Prime Minister’s videographer.

Students had the chance to find out about the panel’s varying career paths and ask them questions on their routes into Number 10. The Events and Visits Officer joined via an apprenticeship, which the students found fascinating.

The activities included how to use an autocue, delivering a speech from the Prime Minister’s lectern (pictured above), setting up for a Prime Ministerial meeting in the White Room including setting up the country flags (pictured below) and taking a good photo of the Prime Minister.

The students found it an eye opening experience and were extremely well behaved for the whole day.

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What students said...

"10 out of 10 for the trip to 10 Downing Street. It was a very informative and intriguing experience. It taught me some life lessons, including how to join the government and the different career paths I could take. The staff were very friendly and open minded. I felt very privileged to do the activities such delivering a Prime Minister’s speech. I also loved meeting the military photographer and the Head of Internal events, who is going to send Miss Woolley information on government apprenticeships for me to read."

Rihanna, Year 10

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Brilliant. I loved learning about the history of the house and the Prime Minister and what she does day to day. Reading the Prime Minister’s speech from a lectern was my favourite activity.

George, Year 9

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"I sat in the Prime Ministers seat in the White Room! I now actually want to go and work in the events team in No10. You don’t actually have to go to uni, you can get an apprenticeship. The videographer has such a cool job. We learnt about all the jobs in No10 and that the Prime Minister has a team to help her write her speeches. I thought it would be a normal house but I was surprised at how big it was inside."

Chloe, Year 10

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"I liked the trip a lot! I feel so privileged to have gone in that house and chat to all the senior staff on the careers panel. I liked using the military photographer’s camera and doing a speech at the lectern. The careers panel was so interesting to learn about how they got into their jobs. The tour was great, we got to see the staircase with all the pictures of the Prime Ministers. It was more like a museum and work place than a house. What a massive opportunity to see inside. I never considered a career in government before today! I didn’t even know where the Prime Minister’s Office was."

Sidney, Year 10

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"It was really interesting to see inside as it gave an insight into the PMs job. It showed different ways to get a good job and you don’t necessarily have to get a degree. I never thought about the effort that goes into working with the PM and the processes behind it. The house was really extravagant. I liked the staircase the best."

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Sydney, Year 10

"It was so interesting to see how the staff work. Everything is so detailed. I never thought about government and now I’m actually thinking about a career in it. The activities were really good and I always wondered how an autocue worked. I really enjoyed it. That was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Leah Wilkinson, Y10

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"I liked the careers panel the best, about how they got into their jobs and the different ways of getting in to government.  It’s made me think about government more. The house was so fancy. I had no idea that so much work goes on behind the Prime Minister."

Isabella, Year 9

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See lots more pictures from our memorable Downing Street trip in our image gallery.