Over the past month, the year 8 pupils at Selwood Academy have taken part in a mock general election.
Each of the six tutor groups was allocated a party (Green, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Respect, Independent and Labour). They then had to nominate a candidate for their party, decide on the party’s policies, publish a manifesto and write a speech for the hustings.
Each party then mounted a marketing campaign to try and convince the entire school staff and the year 8 pupils to vote for their candidate.
Although there was one main person as the figurehead for the parties, every single person in the tutor group got involved and contributed to the campaign. It really brought everybody together and gave everyone a chance to show their talents, from writing to art to cake-making!
The hustings took place a week before voting day; each candidate had a maximum of three minutes to give their speech and put across their policies. It was rather nerve-wracking speaking in front of the whole of year 8, but all the candidates did extremely well!
On voting day, 216 people cast their votes and the Green Party were elected.
The whole event was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had at Selwood; everyone felt motivated to join in with their tutor group. It was particularly interesting given that the actual election was taking place at the same time. It captured everybody’s imagination and we were all totally engaged.
Next time there is a general election, most of us will be eligible to vote; this brought politics to life for us and helped us understand how important each vote is. You never know, you may see one of our names on a real ballot paper in the future!
By Ellie R, Candidate for the Green Party.
