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Politics and International Studies

Widening Participation

Welcome to PMQ's Club

PMQs Club is a widening participation and curriculum-aligned enrichment initiative that uses Prime Minister's Questions to boost GCSE outcomes, media literacy, and critical thinking through live engagement with Parliament. Centred on the debates and issues raised during PMQs, the programme helps Year 10 students develop the analytical, communication, and civic-participation skills now prioritised in the government’s refreshed Citizenship and English curricula. Each week, students analyse the arguments and quality of debate in PMQs, exploring key political and policy issues through structured discussion, evidence evaluation, and guided debate. PMQs Club is delivered in partnership with schools across the region and is supported by academics and practitioners from the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS). Participating schools are able to draw on a full package of resources, including lesson materials, a structured programme outline, and a curated reading list for students and teachers.

Who's it for and Format

Year 10 pupils selected by their school who would benefit from additional academic stretch and support.

Weekly one-hour sessions timed to coincide with PMQs, combining a short input, live viewing, and guided discussion.

Core Themes

  • Economy
  • Foreign affairs
  • Education
  • Social cohesion
  • Defence

Activities

  • Watching PMQs with a structured worksheet.
  • Class discussions linking PMQs to one of the core themes.
  • Reflection and short written tasks.
  • A dedicated essay-skills session.
  • A final presentation or project drawing together what students have learned.

Reading List

Title: Broken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labour’s Lost England
Author: Sebastian Payne
Brief overview: A non-fiction journey through former Labour “red wall” seats that switched to the Conservatives in 2019, exploring how place, class and identity shape voting behaviour.
Relevance to PMQs Club: Helps students understand why parties talk so much about these areas in PMQs and how political messages are targeted at different parts of the country.

Reading List

Title: Northern Glory Tour
Creator: Louis Samrasinghe
Brief overview: A TikTok series that travels across the North of England, focusing on everyday life, regional identity and how people feel about politics and change.
Relevance to PMQs Club: Encourages students to think about how geography and lived experience influence political views and the issues raised in Parliament, using a format many of them already engage with.

Reading List

Title: Prophet Song
Author: Paul Lynch
Brief overview: A novel set in a near-future Ireland where democratic institutions slowly collapse and the state becomes more authoritarian, told through the story of one family.
Relevance to PMQs Club: Highlights why strong institutions, checks and balances, and open debate matter.

Reading List

Title: How Westminster Works… and Why It Doesn’t
Author: Ian Dunt
Brief overview: A clear, accessible guide to how the UK’s political system works in practice, from ministers and civil servants to backbench MPs and the media, and why it often struggles to deal with big problems.
Relevance to PMQs Club: Gives students and teachers background on what is really happening behind the scenes when they watch PMQs, and why the system works the way it does.

Reading List

Title: Power Trip: A Decade of Policy, Plots and Spin
Author: Damian McBride
Brief overview: A memoir from a former special adviser to Gordon Brown, offering an insider’s view of spin, strategy and infighting at the top of UK politics during the New Labour years.
Relevance to PMQs Club: Shows how messages for PMQs and the media are planned and contested, helping students think critically about what they see and hear from politicians.

Reading List

Title: Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer
Authors: Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund
Brief overview: A behind-the-scenes account of how Labour rebuilt itself after the 2019 election defeat and returned to power, focusing on leadership, strategy and internal debate.
Relevance to PMQs Club: Helps students understand how party strategy shapes the questions asked at PMQs, the lines leaders use, and the wider political context behind each exchange.

How it works?

  • Full programme overview and session plan (PDF)
  • Session worksheets and discussion prompts (PDF)
  • Final project / presentation guidance (PDF)

Contact Us

If you are a teacher, school leader, or widening participation practitioner and would like to:

  • Find out more about how PMQs Club works in practice
  • Explore taking part with a group of Year 10 students.
  • Access the programme outline, resources and reading list.

Email: Shahnaz.Akhter.1@warwick.ac.uk

We welcome expressions of interest from schools across the region and are happy to discuss how the programme can be tailored to your students and existing provision.

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