Thousands of school pupils vote for a Labour government

JOINT PRESS RELEASE

Thousands of school pupils vote for a Labour government

Over the course of the 2024 General Election, nearly 70,000 students in schools across the country were also voting. The Association of Citizenship Teaching (ACT) ran a Parallel Election for the first time, while Hansard Society’s Mock Election has been running at every General Election for over 50 years. Both projects are designed to engage students in Citizenship education which is a subject in the national curriculum.

The combined results of the student vote clearly put Labour in first place (29.6%). The Green Party scooped second place with 21.4% of the votes, with Reform UK sitting third (18%). The Liberal Democrats came fourth (12.9%) while the Conservatives were pushed into fifth on less than 10% of the vote. Independent candidates took 5.4% of the share while the remainder were spoiled ballots or no votes (3.7%).

In the General Election, the overall voter turnout was 60%, and evidence shows that young people are less likely to vote than older people. Parallel elections, as part of a well-taught Citizenship curriculum, give students a real taste of democracy in action, and encourage greater political participation as adults.

Mark Marande, Headteacher, The Petersfield School:

"We are very passionate about engaging our students with the general election and politics more widely. We want them to get 'into the habit' of voting, grappling local, national and global issues and exercising their democratic rights. I have been hugely impressed with how much enthusiasm the students have shown for grilling our local candidates and learning about the manifestos of the different parties. We have shared with them the importance of being active participants in their society and I am very encouraged for the future led by them and their generation."

Sam, Year 10 student:

“It’s important that young people get involved in politics early so that when we are at an age where we can vote, we are well informed and educated about the different policies that can affect our lives. Some young people may feel disillusioned by politics, however it’s been refreshing to see how much our school community has engaged with the 2024 General Election.”

Eve, Year 10 student:

“We have really enjoyed meeting the local candidates and putting them on the spot about their party’s pledges. It’s vital that we understand the different commitments being made by different political parties and the routes that our country could take. We are all eagerly anticipating the result of our school election and the General Election.”

Edward, Year 10 student:

“Even though we can’t vote in the General Election this time, we’ve really valued the opportunity to think about and discuss our views on the issues that matter to us in our society. Exercising our democratic rights is a hugely important privilege that we shouldn’t take for granted, especially when there are still places in our world where people are denied this right.”

Liz Moorse, Chief Executive, Association for Citizenship Teaching:

“Citizenship teachers have a critical role to play in preparing the young people as informed and active citizens. Our Parallel Election supported teachers with Citizenship resources and lessons to help students engage with the General Election, learn how democracy, voting and elections work, and to understand why their participation is vital. Students also learned the art of respectful debate and influential argument, skills that are essential for a flourishing democracy. ”

Dr. Ruth Fox, Director, Hansard Society:

“One of the oldest civic education projects for schools anywhere in the world, the Hansard Society has run Mock Elections at every UK General Election for over 50 years. This year, the Hansard Society once again made available a free download of all the resources teachers and pupils needed to run a mock election, at whatever scale they wanted.

Tens of thousands of pupils across Great Britain cast a vote in the nationwide Mock Election campaign, giving many of them a first taste of civic participation and teaching them vital lessons about the way the UK's democratic processes work."

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Note: Further assets including logos and images from participating schools can be provided upon request.

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Notes to editors:

What is Citizenship education?

High-quality Citizenship education teaches pupils about democracy, politics, Parliament and voting, as well as human rights, justice, media literacy, the law and the economy.

Teaching is brought to life using real issues, case studies, people and events, in local to global contexts. Pupils develop active citizenship skills by taking action to address issues that concern them.

Citizenship is a statutory national curriculum subject and a GCSE in Citizenship Studies is used in more than 7600 schools to recognise student attainment in the subject.

Association for Citizenship Teaching

We are the Association for Citizenship Teaching, an education charity founded on the belief that a high-quality Citizenship education can transform young people’s lives. We are the subject community for Citizenship teachers and educators and as a membership organisation, we provide advice, training and resources. We also advocate for Citizenship, supporting research and offering strategic policy advice.

Our vision is for all young people to be active, informed citizens, equipped through effective Citizenship education with the knowledge, skills and experience to participate in and shape a strong and vibrant democracy based on equality, fairness and justice.

How does ACT achieve its vision?

• We bring together supportive networks of Citizenship teachers and educators – subject specialist and non-specialist – to share expertise, advice and best practices
• We offer inspirational training and CPD and provide high-quality teaching resources
• We offer strategic policy advice on Citizenship education, lobbying and influencing on behalf of the subject

Hansard Society

The Hansard Society is known as the Westminster Parliament's 'critical friend'. An independent charity it works to improve the way Parliament works, to enhance public knowledge and understanding of the institution, and to support more informed public debate about the state of parliamentary democracy. The Society was founded by Stephen King-Hall MP in 1944, and its first members were Clement Attlee MP and Winston Churchill MP. Today, as in their day, the Society brings together parliamentarians and all those interested in parliamentary affairs in the UK and around the world.

How does Hansard Society achieve its vision?

The Society develops ideas to improve the way Parliament works through in-depth research about all aspects of the legislative and scrutiny process and through education and training programmes it works to improve knowledge of and interest in the UK's parliamentary system.

For more information