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On the 4th of July, General Election Day across the UK, AHS was no different as students voted in our mock election. Y10 GCSE Citizenship students researched the policies of the five main parties which contested seats in England: The Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party. They then created short information videos, in the style of party political broadcasts which were shown across the whole school at form time. At dinnertime, the polling station opened and voting commenced.
In the end it was a hard fought victory for Reform UK, gaining almost 46% of the vote, with good showings for Labour and the Lib Dems. The Tories came dead last in our election, only securing three votes in total. Exit polls told us that it was Rishi Sunak’s leadership which was one of the main reasons which caused people to vote against the Conservatives.
In completing this election in the same manner as the real general election, we are helping the students to understand the processes and value of democracy, a key British value. It won’t be long until our students can vote in UK elections, and we want them to be able to weigh the options and make an informed choice.