POLITICS was the lesson of the day at the Cotswold School after a member of the House of Lords paid them a visit.

More than 60 students from Years 11, 12 and 13 met with Lord Dear and heard about the work and role of the House of Lords, as part of the ‘Peers in Schools’ Programme.

His talk was followed by a question and answer session with students posing questions ranging from Lord Dear’s own views on same sex marriage, the use of torture and the election of peers.

Phil White, head of sixth form, said: "I was delighted to see, once again, that students are fully engaged with important political debates and they recognise politics is about decision- making and permeates every part of their lives - from environmental issues to human rights, EU membership to international affairs, and from policing to social mobility."

Dr Matt Cox, who had organised the visit , said: "I hope that this visit from Lord Dear will encourage all the students who heard him speak to take more interest in politics."

Lord Dear described the students and the school as ‘most impressive’ and said he had never previously experienced such ‘thoughtful and pertinent’ questioning for so long from a student audience.

Since the Lord Speaker’s “Peers in Schools” programme was set up in 200, it has involved about 50,000 young people.