General Election 2015: Future voters give their verdict on the election

Pupils at one north London primary school have been soaking up news reports in i and developing informed, surprisingly sophisticated stances

Ask most nine-year-olds who the UK’s main political parties are, the names of their leaders and their policies on issues such as the economy and migration, and it’s likely your request would, at best, be met with a blank stare.

But, ahead of the General Election, pupils at one north London primary school have been soaking up news reports in i and developing informed, surprisingly sophisticated stances about the state of the nation, how it should be run – and by whom.

These switched-on, politically engaged children attend George Spicer Primary School, in Enfield, which runs a weekly newspaper club for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6.

Set up by John Gilbert, a teacher and lecturer who runs several clubs in London and the South East, the purpose of Newspaper Club, he says, is to help children learn about the wider world and “empower them to become teachers in their own lives”.

Every Friday, up to 140 children congregate in the assembly hall and each pores over a copy of i before discussing the issues of the day, guided by Mr Gilbert, who interjects periodically to make sure everyone’s up to speed.

“What’s the SNP?” Mr Gilbert asks.

“The Scottish National Party” the pupils chorus back.

“Who’s Gordon Brown?”

“The old Prime Minister,” they reply, even though most of them had only just learnt to reel off the alphabet when Mr Brown was replaced by David Cameron.

I listen to Nell, Millie and Scott, all in Year Five, talk about Isis; they say that by reading about the situation, instead of being “scared”, they hope to learn more about it and what they can do to “help people”.

Several groups of children express their concern about the Mediterranean migrants crisis, after more than 750 people died on a boat crossing from Libya on Sunday. They are worried the UK government is not doing enough to assist people in need.

“I think David Cameron wants to help the migrants – but it seems like he doesn’t want them here,” Radhika, a Year 5 pupil, concludes.

I ask Radhika and her friends, Umayyah and Martha, if they would like to see Mr Cameron continue in the role of Prime Minister for another term; they pull a series of grotesque faces by way of reply.

Nigel Farage doesn’t get the girls’ seal of approval either, although Radhika says that her father will be voting for Ukip. Ed Miliband gets a warmer response, with two of the group’s number saying they could live with him being handed the keys to Downing Street.

But they all agree they would definitely like to see Natalie Bennett take the reins of power because, as Martha says, the Green Party leader “cares about the world and wants to make it a better place”. Nobody mentions Nick Clegg.

While 26 per cent of the 680 pupils at George Spicer have English as an additional language, the majority of them are white and British. Their parents’ and grandparents’ generations may fear an influx of migrants draining the UK’s resources, but every child I speak to talks about their wish to help vulnerable people – at home and abroad – to attain a better standard of living, protect them from harm and safeguard the planet for future generations.

A quick straw poll proves illuminating. Mr Gilbert asks the 70 or so members of Newspaper Club in attendance to imagine they were eligible to vote now and to raise their hands for the one party they would most like to see in power.

Labour yields four votes; Conservatives, three; Liberal Democrats, two; and Ukip, zero. It appears George Spicer is home to a disproportionate amount of floating voters – until Mr Gilbert lists the Green Party and there is a flurry of movement as dozens of children throw their hands in the air.

Newspaper Club is not without its cynics, though; at eight years old Karim already scrutinises politicians with an air of scepticism: “I wouldn’t vote,” the Year 4 pupil declares, “They’re all liars.”