General Election 2024 Hustings

On Friday 14 June, Sheldon School hosted a General Election Hustings, allowing all local candidates standing for MP in the Chippenham constituency to speak directly new and future voters. The event was attended by Declan Basely (Green Party) Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrats), Nic Puntis (Conservative) and Ravi Venkatesh (Labour). It was moderated by A Level Politics students Rhys and Patrick to a packed audience of over 200 students from Sheldon and Hardenhuish, including Sixth Formers and students from Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 3.

Only a handful of Year 13 students will be able to vote in this election, but many of the younger students in the audience found it beneficial to hear more about each candidate and their policy goals. As Headteacher, Pete Lynch, explained: “At Sheldon, we recognise that education is more than what happens in the classroom.​ We value educating students on the importance of taking an active part in the democratic process. This is particularly important to our Year 13 students who will be voting for the first time in the General Election on 4 July. The whole idea of a hustings event is for the electorate to hold the candidates to account over their policies and party manifestos.”

Each candidate had an opportunity to introduce themselves and their party to the audience. They then answered questions on topics selected by Sheldon students as particularly relevant to their concerns. This included questions on the environment, national service, funding for education and the current government.

Nate in Year 9 remarked that it was refreshing to have politicians pay attention to the concerns of young people. “It was really interesting to have politicians actually talk to you and answer your questions. It made me more interested in politics and voting when I’m old enough.”

Over the last week, Sheldon students have attended assemblies with Mr Lynch on the importance of participating in democracy. He discussed the proliferation of deep-fakes and AI manipulation online and how it important for young people and adults to fact check information before sharing. “I’m very happy to give our students the opportunity to grill local candidates face to face,” he explained. Mr Lynch also linked the election to the Sheldon core value to ‘Be Brave’ by exercising your moral duty and voting in the future.

Co-host of the event and Year 12 student Rhys believes that it is important for young people to be politically engaged. “UK politics is in a very interesting place right now which is why it is more important than ever to have your say – especially the younger generation.”

Each of the candidates shared their love of Chippenham and the surrounding area, explaining how they would support our local community if elected. Students noted that all candidates were proud of the constituency and were all passionate about making a difference. Sion in Year 12 said, “All the candidates came across as knowledgeable. They all seemed very willing to champion the issues that matter to the people of Chippenham.”

Many students who will be first time voters and are about to leave school expressed their concern about the cost of living, housing and university fees. Students are concerned about the state of UK politics but were generally optimistic about the future. Patrick, co-host of the hustings and Year 12 student believes that we are on verge of change in the UK. “Politics in 2024 is exciting, where all the stereotypes have eroded and a new dawn of opportunity, such as youth participation and different backgrounds or representation, has arisen.”

After the event many students commented that it was an enjoyable experience to hear the views of people wanting to represent Chippenham and that it made a nice change from the usual exchanges seen online or on television. They suggested that all schools should educate young people on political matters to prepare the future generation for civic involvement.

We will be holding a school election on 4 July. It will be interesting to see how this result compares to the national poll.

Thank you to our Miss Davis, Mrs Tillotson, Mrs Allen and our politics students for helping to arrange the event, along with all the candidates for taking the time out of their busy schedule to speak with our students.

• If you are planning on voting in the General Election on 4 July, remember you must be registered by Tuesday 18 June. Click here to register to vote

• Young people at Sheldon were interviewed by BBC about their views on the election. Their voices can be heard along with others in Chippenham, along with interviews from the candidates on the BBC Sounds Player

Please note: All candidates standing for MP in the Chippenham constituency were notified of the event, but not all were able to attend.