Teenagers swapped school for the civil service as they spent a day with one of the most powerful people in British politics.

The Jo Richardson Community School students headed from Dagenham to Whitehall on Friday to chat with Sir Jeremy Heywood, head of the cabinet office and home civil service.

Sir Heywood praised the “natural curiosity” of the eight Gale Street students from Years 9 to 13.

“It was inspiring to speak to such an engaged group of young people about what a career in public service means and, more broadly, about the choices they have in employment,” he said.

“Their natural curiosity and intelligence was apparent in some of their questions, which ranged from asking about the role of the cabinet secretary and its relationship with the government of the day, to questions about my own career path and typical day.”

The day was organised by Careers and Enterprise Company as part of national careers apprenticeship week.