Whilst helping Mr Monks in last week’s open evening, we had the opportunity to show our visitors a few examples of what we are currently studying in A Level Government and Politics. During this evening we held a hypothetical Bushey Meads referendum. The Year 5 and 6 students who came to view our school, and their parents, could vote whether we should have four days of school with extra homework instead of a regular 5 day school week. We also provided them with information on arguments for and against the change (pros and cons) so they could be properly educated on the topic before they cast their vote.

Bushey Meads Referendum

This Bushey Meads referendum is a perfect example of direct democracy, which links back to what we are studying in Government and Politics at the moment. Direct Democracy is when the electorate (voters) vote on decisions themselves rather than having representatives (MPs) decide for them. An example was the 2016 EU referendum. The result of our BMS referendum was a very close win for keeping the normal school week!

By getting more young people involved and educated about politics, we are helping to fight against the ‘Participation Crisis’, which describes the lack of engagement by the public in politics, another topic we are currently covering in our lessons.

Sophie Edwards 12 Elm and Kyle Oliveira 12 Oak