AHEAD of Thursday's EU referendum, students at one Hereford school

spent a week exploring and celebrating life in modern Britain.

Pupils took part in a number of activities including playing the Trade Game which involved simulating trade between different countries to understand the UK’s place in the word.

Interviews took place with Hereford and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman, Mayor of Hereford Jim Kenyon, the Bishop of Hereford Richard Frith and Lord Lisvane, Robert Rogers, about their values and opinions.

A representative from the armed forces also visited and delivered a presentation about the values of the British Army and the oath of allegiance all soldiers take when joining.

The focus was around developing understanding of ‘British Values’ and the Academy values of service, community, trust and endurance.

Tanya Everard, assistant principal, said: "The week provided an excellent opportunity to offer experiences which broaden horizons and contribute to preparing students for life in modern Britain; in particular, getting young people actively engaged with democracy.

"This is important for the future and following the tragic death of MP Jo Cox last week, poignant for young people see democracy as an agent for change rather than hatred and violence.

"We look forward to doing more events in the future”.

During the week, year-seven pupils participated in a trip to London and a street party was held celebrating the Queen’s birthday.

There was an opportunity to watch the England vs Wales football match and the week ended with the whole school voting in the Academy’s mock EU referendum.

It saw a result of ‘leave’ in the lead with 235 votes while ‘remain’ took 225 votes. There were also 13 spoilt votes.