Pupils battle it out at the ballot box

BOXING clever . . . .Hathershaw College pupils Arisha Imran, Khushi Patel, Syed Gillani and Thomas Hidderley cast their votes

THE polls are open in today’s local elections – but Hathershaw College pupils have already been casting their votes at the ballot box.

Voting is underway in the Bellfield Avenue school’s annual mock elections – with 11 candidates standing on five tickets for the Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Liberal Democrats, and UKIP.

The election trail started in December when Year 10 pupils were invited to become candidates. Those who were shortlisted visited Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon at Westminster before the final candidates were chosen at an audition judged by Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Ateeque Ur-Rehman and Hathershaw College vice principal Mark Giles.

Mr McMahon also attended hustings at the school and candidates filmed party political broadcasts which were shown at assemblies. Manifesto promises included raising teaching standards, offering an apprenticeship to every young person who gets good grades, axing free schools, tackling homelessness, spending £18 billion on new schools and turning all schools into academies.

The polls close today and the results will be announced tomorrow.