Emanuel School welcomes back former student after 50 years

Laurie Taylor, 68, attended Emanuel School in the 1960s whilst it was still a grammar school.

Last week, he revisited the south west London school in a virtual classroom to discuss voting reform with students.

Mr Taylor said: "After reading that the school had staged its own in-house learning about elections around the time of the last General Election, I wanted to share my knowledge and passion for voting reform with today's politics students.

Laurie Taylor, 68, gave a virtual politics talk at his former school.

“It's an issue which is close to my heart, having campaigned for Proportional Representation (PR) for Westminster elections for more than 40 years now.

Mr Taylor spoke to 22 students and was surprised to find that 18 were in favour of PR with three undecided.

He said: "I'm also a member of the national Make Votes Matter campaign group and have given cross-party talks to other schools in the area where I now live.

"But going back to my old school to help bring the curriculum to life seemed important, especially in the run up to elections for London Mayor and to the London Assembly. If I'd had the chance to hear first hand from someone who campaigns on these sorts of issues when I was at school, it would have been an experience that would have stayed with me for a very long time."

Will Davis, Head of Politics at the school on Battersea Rise, said: " We always like to hear from former students and when Laurie contacted us about giving a talk to our current cohort, the timing was just right. Having just completed A level politics modules on democratic deficit, pressure groups and electoral systems, the students had many questions to ask.

"This sort of learning can really enrich the children's education by bringing a subject to life, which is something we pride ourselves on at Emanuel."