A LESSON in democracy was on the syllabus for pupils at Princethorpe College on election day (Thursday December 12).
A mock election was staged to teach pupils about the UK’s democratic process.
Introducing the election to pupils in a school assembly, deputy head Dr Michael Reddish talked about the choices the country would be making and the challenge of voting for a manifesto versus a party leader figurehead.
Party manifestos were summarised, put on display across the school and discussed in form time, and politics students organised hustings.
Voting took place in secret, with each of the school’s 49 tutor groups representing an individual constituency, reflecting the structure of the UK parliamentary system.
Turnout was high, with 92 per cent of pupils choosing to vote.
Sixth form politics students counted the votes and the Conservatives won, taking a majority of 13 seats over the second-placed Liberal Democrats.
Politics and history teacher Abi Adams said: “Democracy is an important British value, and we wanted to educate pupils on how people participate in the democratic process.
“Social media and 24-hour access to news has made politics far more accessible for young people, and across the world younger generations are engaging with issues that directly affect them, so appreciating the democratic process is important.”
She added the school wanted to encourage and challenge pupils to think for themselves, move beyond preconceptions or prejudices, and consider the bigger picture.
“The mock election engaged young people with their democratic responsibilities and gave them an informed and unbiased introduction to the process of democracy,” she said.
“Some of our older sixth formers will be able to vote for the first time today and we hope this insight into the process has helped with their decision-making.
“The UK national election affects all of our pupils and their families, not just those studying politics.”
She thanked the sixth formers and staff who helped to organise the mock election.
