Schools
In addition to our school tours, Parliamentary Education Services has several programs that we run free of charge for school students.
For further information about any of our school programs please contact us by Email or
Phone (08) 8946 1494
- Tours of Parliament House
- Legal Studies Tours
- Parliamentary Role Plays
- Step Up Be Heard - For Legal Studies students
- Outreach Programs
Tours of Parliament House
Schools are invited to visit Parliament House for an informative tour that explains parliamentary procedures, physical aspects of the building, the history of parliament in the Northern Territory as well as some information and background about the site on which Parliament House is built. Visits are recommended during parliamentary meeting days so school students can spend part of their tour witnessing Parliament in action from a special glassed section of the public gallery overlooking the Parliamentary Chamber. When available, Members often leave the Chamber to address students in the gallery.
In addition to a tour, Parliamentary Education Services can organise for the Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC) to run one of their educational sessions. Conducted in a room at Parliament House, NTEC provides information about elections and voting and the students take part in a voting exercise to see how preferential voting really works. Parliament House tours are one hour and NTEC sessions are 45 minutes.
To assist you with planning a school excursion please click on the links below:
Legal Studies Tours
Legal Studies Tours are specifically designed to cover the content in the subject outlines for Stages 1 and 2 Legal Studies. The tours include information for Stage 1 Topics (2) People, Structures and Processes and (3) Law-making, as well as Stage 2 Topics (1) Australian Legal System, (2) Constitutional Government and (3) Law-making. Please follow the links below for further information about the content of the tour and how it is linked to the Legal Studies learning requirements.
Visits are recommended on parliamentary meeting days so that students can watch Parliament in action. Legal Studies students are invited to sit in the open galleries (rather than the glassed-in gallery) in order to fully experience the proceedings of the Assembly.
Legal Studies Tours are 60 minutes and teachers are encouraged to add an extra 30 minutes to watch parliament if visiting on a meeting day.
- Tour links to Stage 1 Learning Requirements
- Tour links to Stage 2 Learning Requirements
Parliamentary Role Plays at school
Our staff are available to visit schools on request and conduct interactive parliamentary role play sessions across the Northern Territory. Role plays usually run for sixty minutes, however we are flexible and can modify all sessions to suit the age and needs of the students and requirements of the teachers.
During role plays students decide on the bills they would like to debate, write their own persuasive speeches and take on a role in parliament. We provide everything needed to accurately portray the running of a parliamentary session.
If available local Members are invited to address the class.
Step Up, Be Heard
Parliamentary Education Services (PES) offers Step Up, Be Heard as a program for Year 10 and Stage 1 Legal Studies teachers to give their students a hands-on, interactive experience in the learning of parliamentary processes and how laws are made. The program includes a series of activities that lead up to a mock parliamentary debate that can take place in Parliament House in the Chamber with the Speaker presiding or the debate can be held at your school or local council chambers.
The program is offered on request, is flexible in its timing and can be done with small or large classes. The mock debate speech can be used as a formal assessment.
Step Up, Be Heard is ideal to use when addressing Law Making for both Stage 1 Legal Studies and Year 10 electives.
Outreach Programs
Parliamentary Education Services visit schools on request in regional and remote parts of the Northern Territory.
- a Remote Schools Outreach Program designed for students who have perhaps not visited or seen parliament in action. Activities to support how parliament operates are used, along with our role play program.