A group of Ramsey students held a mock general election which included students making campaign speeches

Students at Abbey College and Ramsey Gatehouse Sixth Form have been taking an active role in learning about democracy and politics with a unique mock election experience.

In the run-up to the upcoming General Election, students at Abbey College have taken part in several election-related activities. The school has been running a series of election assemblies with mock campaign speeches delivered by sixth formers.

A manifesto was created by sixth form students based on the issues raised in the campaign speeches. Some of the key policies students would like to see included:

· providing a general resource book to every small business that will give them the essential knowledge in computer coding and language to set up a simple website to support their online presence.

· creating a personal finance curriculum that is compulsory for all students in Key Stage 4 to help students understand how to manage money, how to save for the future and how to make their own incomes go further.

· supporting local libraries to

· implementing a national rent a bike scheme so that smaller cities and towns can have access to bikes to make trips under five miles.

· providing funding for an annual community party in every town across the UK to encourage community cohesion.

· funding a large scale bus system nationwide to ensure there is a fleet of school buses in every town across the UK.

Andy Christoforou, headteacher at Abbey College, said: “We understand the importance of providing our students with an understanding of, and appreciation for, the electoral process.

"This year’s mock election has allowed our students to experience the excitement and power of campaigning and voting, whilst also developing their critical thinking and communication skills.

"It’s exciting to see our students’ ideas for the future and the issues that matter to them.”

All students at Abbey College also took part in a school vote with a polling station. Ramsey Gatehouse Sixth Form students also had their own polling station set up in Study 6.

The student election results revealed that at Abbey College the Green Party had a 33 per cent majority overall, closely followed by Labour with 29 per cent, and then Reform UK with 27 per cent.