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Students go to the polls
Posted: 16th December 2019Future voters got involved in the General Election by going to the polls in school.
For the four weeks leading up the election, students at Forest Hall School learnt about the policies proposed by various parties to help them to make a choice about who to vote for.
Posters and information about the parties and their leaders were posted around school and manifestos made available for students to study.
On polling day, students were called down to the in-school Polling Station to cast their vote in private.
Lewis Davis, humanities instructor, said: “We wanted to make it as realistic as possible, so students had to give their name and House to receive their ballot paper before visiting one of the booths to cast their vote.
“It has been inspiring to see our students take such an interest and show a keenness to explore this topic. I have been really impressed with their engagement and curiosity.”
All the votes were collected in the ballot box and counting began at 2.45pm, with the result announced at 3.10pm.
A total of 90 per cent of students voted, with 25 spoiled ballot papers.
The results were -
Brexit Party – 27
UKIP – 33
Liberal Democrats – 61
Green Party – 82
Conservative Party – 91
Labour Party - 117
Mr Davis said: “As a school, we feel it’s really important to allow our students to engage in this style of democracy as it allows them to develop critical thinking about information and the way it is presented in order to formulate their own views. It is also really good practice for the future when they go out to vote themselves as they will already have a good understanding of politics and how a General Election works.”
Head of school Hannah Jones said: “It is really important that we educate our students on the importance of democracy in our society. This experience has made them think about their own political views, as well as given them a true picture of the electoral system in this country. It has been refreshing seeing students engaged in politics and debating some of the key issues like education, Brexit and our NHS.”
