School students not old enough to vote will hold their own mock elections on the same day the nation goes to the polls.

Pupils at Ursuline High School in Wimbledon have been pitching for the ‘job’ by campaigning in different year groups which count as constituencies who will vote for their favourite candidate.

Student candidates have been visiting every assembly from Year 7 to Year 13 to deliver speeches and try and persuade students to vote for the party they represent. The student council led by teacher Lisa Thefaut will coordinate the logistics of the vote on the Thursday, May 7.

The campaigning will focus on some of the key questions raised in the letter from Catholic bishops to all Catholics in England and Wales discussing key issues to consider when voting next Thursday.

Debra Beale, head of government and politics at the school, said: "The Year 12 politics students have worked very hard to prepare their speeches - they have spent a significant amount of time researching not just their parties’ core beliefs, but how they relate to the Catholic values that the school represents.

"We believe that the mock election is an excellent way to teach our students about active citizenship and democracy and how faith and politics can work together to create a more just society."

The school in Crescent Road, opened a brand new purpose-built eight classroom block last month to meet the growing demand for education in Merton.

The new building, known as St Angela’s, has state of the art facilities for early years children, which is a co-educational nursery and two classrooms for reception girls. There are also an additional four classrooms for older girls.