Students from a North East secondary school have visited Downing Street after being invited to attend by the Prime Minister’s Office.

After receiving an unexpected invite from the prestigious office located at 10 Downing Street, 18 lucky students from ̨��swag Academy Acklam, based on Hall Drive in Middlesbrough, made the long trip to London on Friday 14th June.

The students, who were all Year 9 or Year 10 students, were given a tour of the iconic address and given an insight into the workings of the Prime Minister’s Office. In addition the visiting group was given inspirational talks by members of the Prime Minister’s Office, who each discussed their career journeys and the options open to the students.

The Downing Street staff members that spoke with the students were the newly appointed photographer, a speech writer, advisor, and private secretary to the Prime Minister. 

Steve Merifield, Principal at ̨��swag Academy Acklam, said: “We were shocked when we received the invite out of the blue, we felt exceptionally proud to have been chosen for the visit.

“The tour itself was incredible, you could tell by the looks on the faces of the students that they were taken aback by where they were, the heart of Government. 

“We are grateful to those members of the Prime Minister’s Office who gave up their time to talk about their career journey’s with our students. I am sure the advice they offered to them will be immeasurably useful to them as they approach their GCSE studies and begin to plan their future careers.”

The students made the most of their day in the capital, spending the afternoon taking in the London landmarks and took a trip on the London Eye.