Students at Harwich and Dovercourt High School have taken part in their own European Union referendum. Polling stations across the school allowed every pupil to cast their vote on Thursday in exactly the same way that the national vote was conducted.
Voting was hotly contested and opinions divided. Daisy Kent in Year 7 explained that she was voting to leave for a “fresh start” and Hannah Milne in Year 8 said she hoped a vote to leave would result in better funding for the N…HS and other public services. By contrast James Smith in Year 10 voted remain to keep the price of holidays and food low adding that he didn’t think a vote to leave would solve issues around immigration. Louis Hughes and Aaron Stacey-Irvin in Year 7 agreed adding that they valued the chance to travel freely across Europe.
Head of Heidelberg Learning Community Mrs Michelle Honeyman explained that it was important for students to understand the process so that they can make informed decisions and understand the importance of voting in future. Fellow Heads of Community Paul Day, Gary Lewis and Grace Bradshaw agreed that the students had voted respectfully and sensibly and engaged politely and thoughtfully with the issues.
The end result?
Leave The EU: 355 votes
Remain in the EU: 307 votes
Students now wait to see the result of the full national referendum!
