Pupils at New End Primary School in Hampstead enjoyed their own day of democracy to coincide with the London elections earlier in May.

Students from year 6 carried on a tradition of holding elections at the same time as the adults by running a vote on which charity the school should fundraise for during the coming terms.

The school hall was converted into a polling station on May 6, complete with individual voting booths and black ballot boxes.

All members of the school community – including staff, parents and governors – were encouraged to vote, choosing between the Child Poverty Action Group, Friends of the Earth, the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) and the Wildlife Trust.

Headteacher Karyn Ray said: “As a school we like to promote British values, and encouraging children to understand the importance of elections and how they work is part of an understanding of democracy.

The head said the election helped to teach pupils "the importance of their own role in elections for the rest of their lives".

Several recounts saw the PDSA declared the winner with 28.9% of the vote.