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Politics students followed the 2017 General Election results in unique fashion with an all-night event at the Sixth Form College.
The group gathered to apply the knowledge gained on their course through a range of activities as the results were announced. They followed news coverage on the BBC, Sky News, social media and The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, The Guardian and The Independent websites.
Students made predictions and analysed the results in comparison with the polls with a particular focus on why certain seats changed hands.
They focused on key marginal seats which were defending small majorities, tallying the seats which changed, and competed in ‘General Election Bingo’ and a Have I Got News for You-style ‘Fill in the Blank Headline’ game. They also did a social media takeover of the Barnsley College Twitter and Facebook accounts throughout the night.
Student Nathan Phipp-MacIntyre said: “It was really interesting watching the different seats come in and seeing the MPs change, particularly the unexpected surge from Labour which hadn’t been forecast in many of the polls.
“It was surprisingly easy to stay up all night because of the constant flow of information. You didn’t know what was going to happen next or who was going to lose their seat!”
Adam Calvert stated: “The all-nighter gave me a new perspective on politics. Watching history unfold with this snap election was very interesting and something you couldn’t experience by simply reading the news the following day.”
Politics tutor Kim Redgrave added: “This was a fantastic experience for the students who analysed the results as they came in and compared what happened on the night with the pre-election polls. No one expected the result we got and it made for an interesting night. It was an experience the students will never forget and one which really brings the politics we study in the classroom to life.”
Learn more about A Level Politics