A member of Parliament praised students for the standard of their enquiries during a trip to a school.

MP Andrew Griffith inspected the state boarding facilities at Steyning Grammar School and took part in a question-and-answer session with Year 12 A-level pupils.

Steyning Grammar functions as one of merely 34 state boarding schools across Britain and educates children from 21 different countries globally.

Following his visit, Mr Griffith said that exploring Steyning Grammar School further had been enjoyable.

He noted that apart from the wider school community that many people are aware of, the boarding house provides pupils with an excellent living environment that promotes authentic community atmosphere alongside domestic comfort combined with up-to-date facilities.

The Year 12 students asked challenging questions and showed considerable enthusiasm for politics, contemporary issues and their local area alongside their future prospects within it.

During the Q&A, the sixth form pupils asked Mr Griffith about what prompted him to pursue a career in Parliament and discussed topics including political education in schools, artificial intelligence, human rights, environmental issues and taxation affecting family farms.

The session was arranged by sixth form leader Nicki Bedford, while Mr Griffith also held meetings with boarding manager Sarah Murton and headteacher Aiden Timmons during his time at the school.

Steyning Grammar School belongs to the Bohunt Education Trust and was awarded an outstanding assessment by Ofsted.

The MP’s visit was arranged to give him firsthand knowledge of the school’s boarding provision, which Ofsted highlighted as a central strength of the whole institution.