A Welsh MP and former West Dorset schoolboy revisited his old roots and went back to school for the day.

Vaughan Gething was invited to visit Beaminster School for a trip down memory lane as part of a project to celebrate the school’s ex-pupils.

Welsh Assembly member Vaughan described the experience as being a real pleasure.

He said: “There has been quite a lot of physical change to the buildings and most of the teachers who taught me have moved on. However I still felt at home.”

Students from the school council began the day by firing off a round of tricky questions.

Year eight’s Jana Rychnovsky, a recent candidate for the Youth Parliament wanted advice on coping with not getting elected.

She said his visit was really inspirational: “I enjoyed Vaugh-an’s visit a lot. He gave me some good advice on persevering,” she added.

Colin MacNeall, former head of history, went in for the day to catch up with his ex-student.

“It was a pleasure to welcome Vaughan back into school and an even greater one to watch him engage so successfully with Beaminster School students,” he said.

Vaughan also met sixth form students who were keen to know about university life and tuition fees, before further probing from more than 20 council representatives from various year groups.

He said: “I was very impressed with the breadth and quality of questions that I was asked. I’m looking forward to seeing more success come from the school.”

Vaughan was a student at Beaminster from 1985 to 1992.

He is the son of former Beaminster vet David Gething and his wife Beritha.

They lived in Trusthams in Broadwindsor after moving to Dorset from Zambia.

One of six children, Vaughan went to primary school in Broadwindsor.

Beaminster School deputy headteacher Dave Withers said: “It was great to welcome Vaughan back to his old school and hear of his experiences as a student, lawyer and politician.

“We hope he enjoyed his visit back to his old stomping ground as much as we enjoyed having him.

“We wish him luck with his political career back in Wales and offer an open invitation for him to come back to see us anytime.”