Students at Harrow Way were given the opportunity to put their ‘X’ in the box this week at an election run at the school to see which political party the 11-16 year olds would vote for. The initiative was designed to get the younger generation engaged in politics and judging by student reaction has proved enormously successful.
Organised by Assistant Headteacher Caroline Lowing who said;
The General Election provided the ideal opportunity to get students thinking about and interested in politics. Studies have shown that 50% of 18-24 year olds do not vote and we wanted to try and address this. The school is buzzing with talk of the election and the students are really keen to learn more about politics. More importantly they have been really enthusiastic about having their own say.
With a result echoing the rest of the country, the Harrow Way students would have voted Conservative into power. In opposition they put UKIP followed by the Labour party.
During the build up to the Harrow Way vote special assemblies were held and students watched and discussed the party political broadcasts of the main parties (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and Green parties.) Many of the curriculum areas capitalised on having politically themed lesson and tutors debated the issues in their tutor groups throughout the week. Students were also encouraged to discuss the election with their parents/guardians at home.
Commenting on the Harrow Way election, Year 11 student Alice Hill said;
It has been a great opportunity to take part in the democratic process and to see how our results compare with the general election results.
For more information on Harrow Way Community School, please call 01264 364533 or visit www.harroway.hants.sch.uk Visits to the school by appointment are always welcome.