Talking Party Politics

What is party politics? How are people elected to Parliament?

Such questions as these were just some tackled by Ollie Middleton at a recent Q&A session at St Mark’s Church of England School. Mr Middleton, a candidate standing for election in Bath in May’s General Election, visited St Mark’s School to raise awareness about party politics to young people – tomorrow’s voters.

The Year 8 group of students listened to a short presentation giving a non-partisan overview about British party politics and the parliamentary system which was followed by a quiz – could the students successfully match the picture to the politician and then link them to a party?

Both Sam Marlow-Stevens, Labour’s local Youth Co-Ordinator, and Ollie Middleton, were impressed by how well the students scored. The session was wrapped up by the students devising their own political parties and working on a campaign to persuade voters to elect them as leaders of the school in a post-apocalypse scenario.

Organiser of the event English teacher, Stella Pakeman, thanked Ollie and Sam for their time: “The students were fascinated with Ollie’s journey into politics and were inspired by his tenacity and enthusiasm.”

“He was a highly engaging speaker who related extremely well to young people and provoked them to think about challenging and complex issues.”

Headteacher, Barnaby Ash, added, “It was a pleasure to welcome Ollie and Sam to our school and to hear of their passion for politics.”

“It is events such as this that help to create memorable and enriching learning experiences for young people. It allows our students the opportunity to learn not only of the British political system and all of its complexities, but of the different career paths available to them. We are delighted that everyone enjoyed the event so much and thank Ollie and Sam for joining us.”