On Monday 27th June 2022, 11 schools from the King Edward VI Foundation brought teams of Year 12 students to Politics Day, held at the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre and hosted by King Edward VI High School for Girls and King Edward's School.
The day included a host of fantastic political speakers including Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, and Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands.
Students also had the opportunity to quiz Dr Tendayi Bloom, the Undergraduate Admissions Lead for the University of Birmingham’s Department of Politics and International Studies, on helpful tips for writing a powerful and impactful UCAS personal statement.
Mark Webber, Professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham, led a workshop where students worked together in their teams to produce a national manifesto for a fictional snap General Election. Each team nominated a Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer who had a nail-biting three minutes to deliver their key points, which was followed by a vote to decide who had won over the most delegates.
Kirsty von Malaisé, Principal of KEHS, said: “Politics Day provided a great opportunity for students to be inspired by those who have embarked on successful careers in the political field. It was brilliant to see everyone so engaged in the activities, gaining a real insight into the complexity of issues and how politics feeds into our everyday lives. We are immensely grateful to our speakers for taking time out of their busy schedules to come to Politics Day to engage with students from across the Foundation and indeed from across Birmingham.”
Jess Phillips is a former student of King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, while Andy Street attended King Edward’s School.
