Pupils took part in a mock election on Thursday, May 7, the day of the General Election.
Five groups of Year 9 pupils represented the five main UK-wide political parties – Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour, Green and UKIP. They drew lots to see which party they would campaign for, and were each helped by a teacher whose party was also allotted to them to prevent personal prejudice from affecting the quality of the hustings. They made and distributed posters and leaflets before their candidates took part in the hustings, held in the School Chapel.
The candidates were asked to set out their policies in three key areas: health, education and the economy. Their campaign teams made party political films which were screened to an audience of 160 pupils from across the year groups at points in the debate.
In all, 250 pupils voted at the polling station set up in the school. The History department staff acted as the Electoral Commission and the Headmaster, as Returning Officer, announced the result in the School Assembly on May 11.
History teacher James Fawcett said: “A lot of our Sixth Formers were old enough to vote in the General Election itself, but all our year groups took part and learned quite a lot about how elections are run in the process.”
Headmaster Martin Priestley reflected on the General Election in his Assembly address. Admitting that, like the pollsters, he had not expected a majority result, he added that the voting system was bound to come under renewed scrutiny and that it was encouraging to see women politicians rising to lead so many of the major parties.
He congratulated the winning candidate in the mock election, Rachel M, who then made an acceptance speech.
Mr Priestley added: “The Leys has a great history of independence and independent thinking, including in politics: it is surely no coincidence that the two genuinely independent MPs in recent memory – Martin Bell* and Richard Taylor* – are both Old Leysians. I hope that the experience of the School Election will encourage all of you to think for yourselves, and to become engaged citizens, and – who knows – participants in politics in the years ahead.”
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Martin Bell* is the former war correspondent who, as “the man in the white suit” was Independent MP for Tatton from 1997-2001. Dr Richard Taylor, who was two years above Martin Bell at The Leys, was awarded the MBE for his services to community health – he stood as an Independent to oppose the threatened closure of Kidderminster Hospital and was MP for Wyre Forest from 2001-2010.