education

External Services Open Day

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Time: 1000 – 1700
Date: Thursday 22 October 2026
Location: PCH

This event is designed to give Members and Members’ staff the opportunity to engage directly with a range of external bodies that support you in your casework. This is a unique opportunity to connect with representatives from a range of Government Departments and external organisations.

What to expect

  • Gain insights into the correspondence procedures and working practices of various Government departments;
  • Ask questions and explore how organisations can best support you with your casework;
  • Build relationships with key contacts across Government departments and external bodies;
  • Due to the open nature of the event, colleagues will not be able to discuss specific cases. The event is not set up for confidential conversations.

For full details, to register, and to see a list of exhibitors, please see this article on Parlinet.

Bookings for School Visits in 2027

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Next school visit bookings day: 10am on 23 September 2026​ for visits taking place January–July 2027​.

On 23 September from 10am schools will be able to book their free school visit to UK Parliament. This highly popular experience includes an engaging, curricula-informed workshop in our Education Centre and an unforgettable tour of the iconic Palace of Westminster.

Schools must register an account before booking a tour – do this well in advance as bookings fill up very quickly.

Please see here for full details: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/session-workshop/tours-and-workshops/

Do you know anyone aged 14 to 18 who is interested in the work of Parliament?

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The House of Commons and Joint Departments have launched a new free, on-demand Virtual Work Experience Programme, which opened on 27 July 2026 and runs until 31 October 2026.

Young people who miss this application window will have another opportunity to apply when the next programme opens later in 2026 and again in 2027. The Parliament work experience webpage will be kept up to date with the latest information.

Delivered through Waypoint, a virtual platform run by our partners Sixty Learn, the programme gives young people across the UK the opportunity to:

  • Explore Parliament as a workplace
  • Gain insight into the wide range of careers that support our democracy
  • Experience what it is like to contribute to meaningful tasks within a team

By offering a virtual programme, Parliament can remove barriers such as location, enabling participation from a wider and more diverse range of young people.

Registration is managed through Waypoint, the online platform used to deliver the virtual work experience programme and operated by Sixty Learn.

To learn more about the programme and register, click the link below:

Register here to get started! 

Question Time for Women’s History Month

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Time: 1400-1445
Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Location: Online via YouTube
Cost: Free
Audience: Young people aged 14-18, schools, colleges, home educators
Host: UK Parliament Education and Engagement Team

What is Question Time for Women’s History Month? 

An online engagement event for students aged 14 to 18, to mark Women’s History Month.   

We will be joined by Historian of UK Parliament, Dr Mari Takayanagi, who will share a brief history of women in the House of Lords. Using real parliamentary artefacts, Mari will reflect on the vital contributions that women, past and present, have made to the work of the House.

We will then be joined by The Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishop Rachel) and Baroness Boycott.

Both Peers represent groups that are unique to the House of Lords, Bishops and Crossbenchers, and both are also trailblazing women within their professions.

Both will share their experiences by answering your questions!

Find out more, and register to attend here.

Booking for 2026 summer term educational visits

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Bookings for Summer Term (April to July 2026) open at 10am on 28 January.

Get ready to book your Summer Term (April to July 2026) visit. Register on the booking portal to view available slots and book your Summer Term visit when Summer Term bookings open. All schools wanting to book a school visit will need to have a user account set up in the online booking portal.  Schools should register their account now so they’re ready when bookings go live, with no further action needed until January. Account verification can take up to five working days, so setting up early avoids delays. Register your account here.

Your visit includes:

  • A curricula-informed workshop in our Education Centre
  • A guided tour of the iconic Palace of Westminster

Schools outside London and the South East may be eligible for help with travel costs.

Changes to Member-sponsored ‘Inside UK Parliament’ tours

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Following decisions from the Administration Committee, Lords Services Committee and House of Commons Commission, two changes to how these tours are booked and delivered will come into effect from 2 January 2026. These changes are intended to provide a simplified, more flexible system for schools and constituents. 

Read about the changes here on Parlinet – Changes to Member-sponsored ‘Inside UK Parliament’ tours

Volunteers wanted to pilot constituency engagement tracking tool

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Members’ staff wanted to test the Participation Services Dashboard.

The Participation team is looking for Members’ staff to take part in a pilot study testing the Participation Services Dashboard, a tool to give you quick and easy insights into how your constituents are engaging with services offered by the Participation team. This includes their involvement in education programmes, tours of Parliament and sign-ups for UK Parliament Week.

Volunteers would need to attend three 30-minute online meetings from early June to mid-July – a range of times will be offered to best fit your diary.

For more information or to register your interest, please visit Parlinet or email participationdashboardenquiries@parliament.uk

Free summer term school visits

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From 23 January schools can apply online for a free school visit to UK Parliament

From 10am on Thursday 23 January, schools in each constituency will be able to request a free school visit to UK Parliament this Summer Term (April to July).  Eligible schools visiting from outside London and the South East of England could claim up to 85% (up to £2,400) of their receipted travel costs back with our travel subsidy.

Each term, the Education Centre has a very high number of applications from schools. We try to ensure as many schools as possible can visit us, but with over 33,000 schools across the UK and around 1,000 slots available, demand outweighs capacity. To ensure fair access, we will be processing applications on a first come, first served basis and a queue management system will be in place on the day.

For full details, please see here: ParliNet | Free summer term school visits