3 March 2020
Pupils reject changed voting age in mock vote

Hanley Swan Primary School pupils rejected lowering the voting age to ten as part of a mock democracy session led by West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin.

The MP visited the school as part of a week of classes on modern British values and she toured the school and chatted to staff and pupils before taking part in a school assembly.

The pupils were asked to debate an issue that they cared about and then make speeches supporting and opposing reducing the voting age to ten years old. The motion was defeated by 68 votes to 61.

Harriett commented: “I really enjoy visiting local primary schools and was given some really useful updates from the head teacher including some of the great work the school is doing with the Connecting Classrooms initiative linking to a school in Tanzania.

“I was invited to the school to round off a week of assemblies teaching children about diversity and British values and I was keen to give them a first-hand taste of democracy and the voting process.

“I find it is a really useful way to engage young people and I remind them that no matter how old they are, I still represent them in Parliament, and I will take back the message that Hanley Swan pupils think that ten is too young to have the vote.”

Headteacher Adrian Pratley added: “It was a fantastic way to round off our Modern Britain week in school. The pupils gained a great insight into the way debates are run in the Houses of Parliament and how democracy works in Great Britain.”

Photo: Harriett Baldwin MP, Florence Thomas, Henry Thorley, Finlay Skene and Adrian Pratley.