Democracy Week 2025

Last week, Monday 24th - Friday 28th November, the country observed UK Parliament Week - an annual event to raise greater awareness of our democracy and to encourage political participation amongst young people. At CLC, we chose to hold our own Democracy Week to celebrate an integral cornerstone of our diverse and international community.

The central message for students was the importance of democracy in our lives and the threats it faces around the world. The week was packed with activities for all year groups, led by myself and the SFC2 Politics Reps. At each break time, across both Upper and Lower College, students were able to engage in a variety of activities, ranging from quizzes to analysing political cartoons. There were also a range of external events held as part of Democracy Week.

On Monday 24th November, SFC1 pupils had the fantastic opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament and the UK Supreme Court, including a talk with Cheltenham MP Max Wilkinson.

On Wednesday 26th November, Lower College students attended workshops with political author Catherine Brereton, to discuss youth involvement in politics and why political education in schools matters.

To further this, CLC students had the opportunity to participate in a College-wide referendum asking ‘Should 16-year-olds have the right to vote in the next general election?’, reflecting the recent legislative proposals by the Government. There was a decisive outcome with 64% voting ‘no’ and 36% voting ‘yes’, with the highest turnout seen in LC3!

The engagement from students over the last week has been amazing, demonstrating a real sense of political awareness and a desire to engage with important issues. Democracy Week 2025 has been a huge success, and we are already looking forward to 2026!

Miss Saffron Lowsley, Teacher of History and Politics

NEW SIXTH FORM CENTRE - OPENING AUTUMN 2026