Girls from the Lower School headed into deepest Oxfordshire on Thursday evening and were warmly welcomed by Mr Howe-Jones to Cothill School.

The girls were whisked off by a group of charming boys into a very smart dining room and served a sumptuous feast which began with prawn cocktail and ended with a fruit salad. Lulu Straker and Lara Spearman were on hand too (as was Lulu’s brother) and soon conversation began to flow over the tables.

When the time came to attend the lecture, it was hard to drag the boys and girls away from their tables and into the auditorium. Lord King kept the attention of his audience by asking questions and the pupils showed that they were very knowledgeable on the parliamentary system, the Kings and Queens of England and current political issues.

Lord King took questions after his talk and Celine Harborne thanked him, on behalf of the group for a lively and interesting talk. Alex Thomas thanked Mr Howe-Jones on behalf of all the girls, and we headed back to Downe House.