PUPILS at John of Gaunt School prepared for the General Election with a Question Time-style debate, with sixth formers and staff asking tough questions of the candidates.

The panel for the event, which took place on March 27, was Andrew Murrison (Conservative), George Aylett (Labour), Matthew Brown (UKIP), Phil Randle (Green) and Trevor Carbin (Liberal Democrat).

Matt Maw, a government and politics teacher and school governor, chaired the debate, which saw students in Year 12 and 13 submit questions about the privatisation of the NHS, tuition fees and how to engage youngsters in politics.

Headteacher Mike Gunston also asked a question about school funding and how the current cap amounts to a real-term cut in funding.

Assistant headteacher Eugene Spiers, who organised the event, said: “It was a really good event. The students took a while to get warmed up, but once they got into it they were fantastic.

“There were questions about tuition fees and also a lot of interest in the privatisation of the health service. They got really into it and there were also a number of questions about engaging young people in politics.

“The audience was a mix of Year 12 and 13 students, so some are able to vote and others won’t be able to this time around, but there was an excellent discussion about lowering the voting age.

“From the feedback I heard, it seems the debate helped many of them, while others had still not decided on who they would vote for. For those who are not yet at the voting age, it gave them a change to engage in politics and prepare for the future.”