Delivering the take part strand | FE Colleges

Key topics

• Why voting matters.
• Representation and who can vote.
• Political parties, candidates, manifestos and election campaigns.
• How voting and elections work.

Why the Take part strand matters in post-16 settings

Colleges have a unique opportunity to support young people to learn about elections and voting, with the important responsibility of preparing them to participate in elections. Many learners will take part in their first elections whilst at college. Colleges can provide a trusted, practical setting in which learners can develop the knowledge, confidence and independence needed to participate.

For many learners the process of voting can be daunting, potentially leading them to disengage or choose not to participate. Colleges can demystify this process by teaching their learners both the process and practicalities of voting.

We can’t assume any prior knowledge of information about politics before learners get to college, and you may be engaging a mixed ability group. Thus, it is important to begin by assessing and activating prior knowledge. Provide opportunities for learners to share their own experiences, both the successes and challenges. A lack of political vocabulary does not always indicate a lack of interest or ability.

One challenge is recognising that learners have multiple and varied reasons for being apathetic or distrusting the impact of elections and voting. To address this colleges must first acknowledge these attitudinal and practical barriers. Listening to learners and taking their concerns seriously is paramount. Teachers should also not over promise the impact of voting, or suggest that change can happen quickly. Instead, use examples of how voting has made a difference, and address common barriers that prevent people from participating.

Finally, when discussing voting and elections, colleges and teachers must remain impartial. The goal is never to promote an idea, party, or politician, but instead to give learners the tools and support to think critically and make up their own minds.

My approach

When teaching about elections my goal is to first get learners talking about issues:

• I like to start with asking learners what their opinions are on issues so they can reflect on what is important to them.
• Use structured activities such as issue-ranking, scenario cards or “top three priorities” exercises.
• Make clear that learners do not have to disclose personal political views and can choose a hypothetical position if they prefer.

After learners have considered their own opinions they can move to identify the positions of candidates and parties. I want learners to understand what issues politicians and parties are campaigning on and how this will impact their lives:

• Teach learners to distinguish between a policy, a promise, a claim and a slogan.
• Encourage them to ask:
• What is being proposed?
• Who would be affected?
• How would it be paid for?
• What evidence supports the claim?

The goal is to make politics and elections tangible, not just theoretical things that happen to young people, but rather processes that they can and should be a part of.

The role of the educator is to ensure that choices are informed and voluntary, rather than to pressure learners towards a particular outcome:

• For learners this means giving them the time and tools to examine party manifestos, comparing across parties and deciding which best represents their views.
• Include practical rehearsal. Learners should have opportunities to practise checking whether they are registered, identifying acceptable voter ID, completing a ballot paper, finding their polling station and understanding the different ways of voting. Practical preparation should be treated as a normal part of democratic education, not as remedial support.
• It is also important to acknowledge that learners may have reasons for voting, not voting, spoiling a ballot or participating in other ways.

If you can only do one thing...

If there is minimal time the first priority is getting eligible learners registered to vote. Helping to guide young people through the registration process can happen in one session and ensures they meet the basic requirement for participation.

Where this fits into youth settings

Teaching about elections and voting can be done by specialists and non-specialist teachers.

• A Level politics classes are a natural place to include this. However, these students are already likely to be engaged, so this should not be the only place where this is included.
• In colleges, tutorial classes are the best setting to reach all learners, but that may mean that materials need to be delivered in either small amounts of time depending on the setting. A short, repeated tutorial sequence is likely to be more effective than a single information-heavy session.
• Additionally, voting and elections can also be promoted outside of the classroom. Communications teams, school bulletin boards or newsletters, and extracurricular spaces can all help to support young people to learn about registration.

Key resources

Make sure to check out the Electoral Commission’s Welcome To Your Vote Week. This is a yearly event, usually in March, where young people are encouraged to learn about, and get involved in, democracy in the UK.

In the lead up to, and during, this week, the Electoral Commission promotes and shares a range of learning resources, activities and programmes to engage young people in democracy. These are available year-round, but the week itself is a good focus point in the year to spotlight learning about voting and elections.

Further to Welcome To Your Vote Week resources, you could also use the following…

If you have 30 or less…

• #ElectionCountdown - Voter registration, The Politics Project - One of the most important things colleges can do is to help get their young people on the electoral register. Students will need their National Insurance Number to register to vote.

If you have 1 hour…

• Begin by ensuring that all eligible learners are registered to vote using #ElectionCountdown - Voter registration resources.
• Elections near you, The Electoral Commission tool. By ensuring that young people know the basics of how to register and what to expect on polling day colleges can support them to vote for the first time.

1-3 hours…

• The 60-second democracy challenge: Is it important to vote and why? The Electoral Commission and Skating Panda - This scheme of work explores democracy, voting and civic participation through enquiry, discussion and debate. Learners investigate local issues, evaluate different solutions and develop persuasive communication skills before creating an entry for the 60-second democracy challenge.

If you have 4-6 hours…

• #ElectionCountdown, The Politics Project - This scheme of learning consists of eight lessons that prepare learners for elections, including learning about upcoming elections, how to register to vote, and lessons that help learners decide who to vote for. This resource is updated yearly with the appropriate and most up to date information.

6 hours plus…

• How to research a politician, The Politics Project. Pair the above resources with time for learners to research politicians, campaigns, or party manifestos. In order to feel confident on polling day they will need to know who is on the ballot, and who they will be voting for and why. This resource is a primer about how to begin the process of researching a politician.

Considerations for learners with additional needs

• There are many resources from United Response that can help support SEN learners. One strategy that can be particularly helpful is having learners practice filling out a ballot paper. Use United Response’s Local Election Ballot Paper for this. You can also have learners create a voting passport. A voting passport is an A4 sheet of paper to hand to polling staff so they easily can understand the reasonable adjustments needed to enable the person to vote.
• Provide opportunities to practice. The more young people can practice what they will eventually do in a structured and scaffolded environment the more comfortable they will feel when it is their turn to participate.
• When preparing for an actual election, focus on who and what is on the ballot. Learners should know what to expect on polling day. Use a localised, accessible polling-day sequence that includes arrival, checking identification, receiving the ballot paper, marking the ballot privately, placing it in the ballot box and asking for support if needed. Polling staff have training on supporting people with additional needs, and young people should know they can always ask for support.
• Use plain English and explain unfamiliar terms such as constituency, candidate, manifesto, proportional representation, postal vote, proxy vote, polling station and Voter Authority Certificate.
• Be aware that some learners may have experienced exclusion, discrimination, coercion or distrust in relation to institutions. Acknowledge these experiences without assuming that all learners share them.
• Make the distinction between support and influence clear. Staff can help learners access information and complete procedural steps, but should not tell them which candidate or party to support.