Life Peer lifts the lid on the House of Lords

Her visit came as part of a Peers in Schools scheme whereby members of Parliament's upper chamber work to spread greater understanding among young people of their duties today and also the history behind them.

Baroness Fookes, 74, who lives in St Leonards-on-Sea, was an ideal mentor, having been a school teacher from 1958 to 1970 when she was plain Janet Fookes.

A Conservative peer - though her talk was strictly non-political - her early experiences of politics included spells as a Hastings borough councillor during the 1960s and service as an MP from 1970 to 1997.

She represented Merton and Morden from 1970-74 and Plymouth Drake from 1974-97, working particularly hard in the latter constituency where in the general election of October 1974 she had a majority of just 34.

From 1992 to 1997 Baroness Fookes was deputy speaker in the House of Commons, and in 1989 was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Her elevation to the Peerage came in 1997, and in 2001 she was deputy lieutenant of East Sussex.

Baroness Fookes has served on the Council of the RSPCA, notably becoming its chairman from 1979 to 1981, and also as a member of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Elisabeth Lawrence, the College's student support manager, organised Baroness Fookes's visit to talk to some 40 students aged 16 to 18.

Elisabeth said: " We were honoured to hear from someone with such a wealth of political experience and who so ably explained the work of the House of Lords and its relevance to young people."

Others who welcomed the Baroness included college principal Karen Hucker and its chairman of governors, Bernard Anderson.