YOUNG peoploe at a Bolton school have been casting their votes – in a mock EU referendum.

Pupils at Turton School in Bromley Cross joined the rest of the country in voting either to Remain or Leave the EU.

And the mood and strength of feeling in the two camps was as strong as it was nationally.

The two parties have been holding their own campaigns in school before heading to their very own polling stations yesterday.

Pupil Logan Bond, aged 12, said: “I have voted out because we have £350 million a week going to the European Union to stay in and that money could go to the NHS for people who need it. It is important to vote in the referendum because it will bring out a big change."

Her classmate, Danielle Smedley, aged 12, was firmly in the remain campaign. She said: “I have voted in because leaving is a shot in the dark for the country.

Danielle added: “There has been a lot of discussion about the referendum in school and sometimes the debated have got quite heated. Voting is so important because it brings about change in people’s lives.”

The two campaign groups were made up of pupils and students of all years at the school.

And the purpose of the mock referendum was for the young people to deepen their understanding of democracy and learning about the country’s voting system. The school held its own mock General Election to reflect what was happening on the national stage.

Ryan Farnworth, aged 18, was in the Leave campaign even though he is voting to remain in.

He said: “For this purpose I chose the Leave campaign because I wanted to challenge my own views.

“The Leave’s biggest argument was how much we spend on being part of the EU."

Eighteen year-olds Danielle Rigby, aged 18 and Holly Bryce, were part of the Remain campaign whose argument was about working together to help those in crisis.

The mock election was organised by Sarah Jones deputy director of sixth form.

She said: “I don’t know which way the vote is going in Turton School. We have had a lot of floating voters who weren’t quite sure which way they were going to vote.

“Students have had very strong opinions.We have challenged the myths and presented the facts."

Miss Jones said holding exercises such as this would develop young people's understanding of issues enabling them to make their own informed decisions.