MP Catherine West likes speaking plain English in schools as well as Parliament.

The Hornsey and Friern Barnet MP took time off from her duties as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to drop into a speaking and language workshop at St Aidan’s Primary School in Finsbury Park.

The workshop was organised by the English-Speaking Union to foster ‘oracy’ skills through public speaking and debating.

“Oracy is a crucial skill that is often undervalued in our education system,” the Hornsey and Friern Barnet MP said. “It’s wonderful to see the pupils learning the importance of articulating ideas and having respect for one-another’s views.”

The workshop was part of a programme teaching linguistic and cognitive skills to help children express themselves and communicate confidently.

The Year 6 pupils took part in activities to improve their knowledge and confidence in the four oracy skills — expression, reasoning, prioritising and responding to others.

Catherine was asked by the children, who were beaming with confidence, about her life as an MP and the “fun facts” of how Parliament works. She invited them to visit Parliament to see for themselves.

St Aidan’s headteacher Kate Stevens was pleased with the workshop. She said: “Oracy is a part of every lesson to give pupils confidence and a voice. The English-Speaking Union supports teachers to deliver skills to pupils who wouldn’t normally speak but need the confidence to talk and make arguments.”

The workshop seemed to work on the 10 and 11-year-olds. One of the youngsters said afterwards: “These skills are going to help you in life because, if you’re having a difficult time, you have ways to let yourself be heard.”

Catherine herself is a bit of a language buff. She studied modern languages at university and got a Master’s degree in Chinese studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury before entering politics.

She went on to be Islington Council leader from 2010 to 2013 before becoming an MP in 2015 for Hornsey and Wood Green.

The English-Speaking Union is a charity under Royal Charter with a mission to help young people with speaking and listening skills to be “articulate global citizens”. Its programmes include debate, public speaking and cultural exchanges to speak more confidently and understand different points of view, helping to “live life to the fullest”.