On Tuesday 3 December 2019 we were delighted to welcome the BBC to Notley High School & Braintree Sixth Form. The focus of the visit was the forthcoming General Election and the mock election being held in school on 12 December 2019.

The report, as well as a live interview, was aired on BBC1 during the Look East evening news.

During the interview with BBC journalist Leigh Milner, Key Stage 3 students spoke about the forthcoming mock election and the assemblies Key Stage 5 Politics students have delivered to further students’ understanding of the electoral process. Year 7 student Freddie Dowman said he was ‘looking forward to having the experience of going to vote in a real polling booth’.

The Year 12 Enterprise Fair was featured in the report and showed Key Stage 5 students’ excellent efforts in producing and selling items to students in Years 7 and 8 to raise money for charity.

During the live interview broadcast in the evening news, four Politics students were interviewed by BBC journalist Stewart White. Mr White asked students if they wished they could vote in the forthcoming election. Whilst all students are looking forward to being able to vote at 18, they were unsure about 16-year-olds being given the vote.

Speaking about the overall experience of the day, Politics student Emily Windle said ‘it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad I could show that young people are getting involved in politics’.

It was fascinating to see the process of a news report going from initial filming, to editing, before being broadcast on the TV. Students enjoyed speaking to the BBC journalists and crew about their work, and Key Stage 5 students felt very lucky to be able to participate in a live broadcast on TV. Alan Menzies, a Politics student, said ‘during the day not only were we given an amazing experience but it was also a great opportunity to be able to interest younger years about politics’.

Thank you to all students who were involved in the day, you represented yourselves and the school impeccably. We would also like to thank Steve Daynes at Braintree District Council for loaning us the items for the mock election. Special thanks to the following students who appeared in the final BBC report and interview:

• Kieran Cockayne
• Luke Deane
• Freddie Dowman
• Theo Hanness
• Kieran Knight
• Alan Menzies
• Emily Menzies
• Tom Norton
• Emily Windle

Click here to see the gallery of photos from this event.

Mrs C Wager, Assistant Headteacher - KS4