This month’s historic general election was mirrored in thousands of schools across the UK, and ours was no exception. The process at Passmores Academy was that every tutor group was their own constituency, and students were presented with the manifesto of each party for discussion.
The outcome was a clear victory for Labour. It won 32 constituencies. Reform came second with three, and the Greens third with two. Voting patterns show that the vast majority of votes for Reform (approximately 80 per cent) were cast by boys.
This mirrors a pre-election poll by JL Partners for the Daily Mail, which found that among 16-17 year-olds, Labour led with 39 per cent, with Reform in a strong second place at 23 per cent ahead of the Greens (18 per cent), Liberal Democrats (9 per cent), and Conservatives (5 per cent).
The poll also supports our results because among 16- to 17-year-old males, Reform was tied with Labour (both securing 35 per cent). The Liberal Democrats and Conservatives followed with 11 per cent each, while the Greens trailed at 2 per cent. These stats demonstrate substantial young male support for Reform, matching Labour’s popularity.
Conversely, female voters showed different preferences. Labour led with 43 per cent, and the Greens followed on 33 per cent. Reform ranked third with 12 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats secured 8 per cent, and the Conservatives received no support.
So what does this mean for the Labour manifesto pledge of extending the vote to this age group? Would it truly accelerate the demise of the Conservative Party as one of two parties that can win outright and accelerate Reform as the official opposition?
Well, the actual election results give a slightly different impression. And in any case, it isn’t and can never be our job to influence young people’s political preferences.
It’s clear that political party use of platforms like TikTok means that people are being targeted at a younger age than ever. This form of expression leaves little place for nuance, but can be very effective in creating lasting emotions – a perfect fit for populism of any stripe.
It’s also the easiest to tackle in schools, whose job is to present young people with facts and give them opportunities to discuss them in open, non-judgmental settings. There is certainly a role here for citizenship education, and every school should perhaps look again at their provision in this regard.
The concerns of younger people have not been prioritised.
However, Reform’s popularity is not merely down to well-pitched social media campaigns. Over the past few years, and even in the manifestos, the concerns of younger people have not been prioritised.
Well-paid jobs are harder to find. House prices and interest rates make the chance of becoming a home-owner seem impossible. While many young people evidently blame the Conservative government, others have aligned with the Reform party view that immigration is the cause.
We also know that it’s natural for young people to align themselves with the ‘outsider’ as an expression of rebellion. Nigel Farage has carefully curated his image as the bad boy of British politics and a vote for his party as a way of pushing back against authority.
But while this could mean that votes at 16 would increase turnout for populists, the policy could just as easily have the opposite effect. By forcing all parties to focus on a whole new voter demographic, it could in fact lead to better policy for them and expose those trying to exploit their vote with simplistic ideas.
Having said all that, the growth of the populist right in politics does present a challenge for schools, especially for the many with very diverse intakes. While remaining aware of our responsibilities around impartiality, we will no doubt need to turn our attention to dealing with increased negativity and division in our classrooms and playgrounds.
If a child was to repeat in school some of the comments they’ve heard on TV or read in papers, they would probably face a sanction. Punishing a child for repeating something they’ve heard on the news is going to cause us more conflict with families. Worse, knowing the risk, young people are less likely to express the views they hold, making them more difficult to challenge.
I discussed this with former Schools Week editor, Laura McInerney recently. She used a phrase I have not heard for many years: community cohesion. (Don’t panic! Not in a ‘let’s put it back in the Ofsted framework kind of way.)
There is no doubt that our role as community servants is greater and more challenging than ever. (The rise of populism and social media also means schools are more easily targeted.) But however difficult, we must not shy away from our role in educating young people to value facts, recognise rhetoric and uphold democratic principles.
In doing so, we must place more emphasis on reaching the edges of our communities, where a void left by austerity is being filled by dangerous forces. Community cohesion is firmly back on our agenda – if it ever really left – and we should be putting every effort into improving it together.
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