Best Practice

Teaching the General Election

After five years of coalition government, the forthcoming General Election on May 7 looks set to be a particularly fierce battle. Emma Lee-Potter looks at how schools might tackle the subject in class.

With two months to go until polling day, schools are keen to get pupils interested in the General Election.

Amid widespread concern about voter apathy among young people, there is no doubt that engaging the next generation in politics and democracy is important. 

After all, young people may be able to vote at the age of 16 in the future. Ed Miliband has promised to lower the voting age to 16 if Labour is elected on May 7, while David Cameron, who believes the voting age should remain at 18, has said he would be open to allowing MPs to vote on the issue.

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