THEY may be too young to vote in the General Election today, however youngsters from a Winklebury school got to experience exactly what it is like to go and vote on polling day.

Students from Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 at Fort Hill Community School flocked to their own polling stations at the school, in Kenilworth Road, Winklebury, on Tuesday as part of a mock General Election.

Before the election, pupils from the School Council visited youngsters in each tutor group and gave them presentations and introduced the leaders and policies of the five main parties – Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Green Party.

On the day, students from each year group took it in turns to go to the polling stations.

Once there, they could register and cast their votes on a special ballot paper, which also included an option to not vote.

Charlotte Miller, a behaviour support worker for Years 8 and 9 who helped to organise the event, said it went well, with pupils grasping responsibility for their various roles.

She told The Gazette: “At the moment, we have just got the School Council up and running with rights, respect and responsibility.

“So, we felt this tied in really nicely with the current election and gave the council the presence within the school.

“They (the pupils) were really excited to do this and the School Council loved the responsibility and did really well.

“It is really important for them to know what it is like to vote.”

Head of the School Council, 11-year-old Amber Wallis, said that the day helped her to develop a better understanding of the political system, and she got to learn a great deal more about the parties involved.

She added: “It is really exciting to get the opportunity of this experience.

“I am looking forward to voting (when I am 18) and it was a big shock to see how many people voted.

“I didn’t know a lot about the parties and now I know a lot more.”