London Pupils Host Mock Election for Children’s News Programme Espresso News Bites Election Special Will Be Streamed To UK Schools This Week Pupils from a north London prep school have been gearing up for election day by hosting a mock general election which will feature in a special news programme available only through global edtech leader Discovery Education The General Election News Bites Special will be streamed to thousands of UK primary schools this week via Espresso News Bites- the award-winning news service for children. Produced in partnership with ITN Productions, Espresso News Bites bring the world’s biggest stories to UK classrooms every day and are delivered to schools nationwide only through Espresso by Discovery Education, an award-winning daily learning platform for primary schools. As people across the UK prepare to head to the polls, St Martin’s School in Northwood hosted the event to help pupils understand how elections work. A film crew from Discovery Education visited the school to capture their learning in action. From writing manifestos and posters to designing ballot boxes and papers, the children created their own political parties and ran leadership campaigns. They also hosted a lively ‘hustings’, where candidates debated their views and answered questions. Finally, the children headed to a mini polling booth, to cast their votes. After all votes had been counted, Headteacher Simon Dunn announced that 10 year old Syon, Leader of ‘The Connection Party’ was the winner. Speaking after the result was announced, Syon said “Thank you to my amazing team, I’m just so pleased – I’m speechless!” Mr Dunn said, “We were delighted to welcome the film crew from Discovery Education to film our mock general election in school. The children really enjoyed taking part and it was a great opportunity to help them witness democracy in action. The experience provided a great opportunity for them to embrace their curiosity, demonstrate their confidence and convey just how highly capable they are. Moreover, to have fun while doing so! One moment that stood out for me was the sheer weight of expectation in the room as I was announcing the candidates for Junior PM. Every boy was invested in winning the coveted role after so much effort on their part to win it. The energy was electrifying!” Michael Savitz, Discovery Education’s UK and International General Manager said: “Discovery Education brings current affairs and world events to pupils across the United Kingdom through Espresso News. We’re pleased to help children understand how a general election works and to ignite their curiosity about public service, and we thank the pupils at St Martin’s for taking part.” The ‘How Does A General Election Work?’ bulletin is available now to Espresso subscribers across the UK and around the world and can be viewed here. In addition to this special, Espresso also offers a host of curriculum-matched resources to help primary school children learn about general elections and support teachers to promote British Values. These include a complete Election Workshop Guide, to help schools stage their own mock elections, which can be found here. Explore Discovery Education’s award-winning digital learning services at www.discoveryeducation.co.uk. For further information please contact: Angie Shatford, UK PR for Discovery Education: angie@inkstream.co.uk.