Politics Summer School Gives Students Real-Life Insights
24 July 2026
Four NSCG Stafford College A Level students have started their summer by attending Leigh Ingham’s Politics Summer School, giving them the opportunity to gain real-life experience of politics in action and create their own campaign for change.
Aiming to help young people aged 16-19 explore public policy making in further detail, students spent time discussing a variety of topics from campaigning and social action to developing leadership skills and understanding the various roles involved in an MP’s office.
Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages, said: “Summer School is one of my favourite weeks of the year. These are passionate and inspiring young people who are keen to use their voices for good.
“Their campaign ideas totally blew me away with the level of research, detail, and enthusiasm. Their presentations have given me some new ideas, particularly on youth services in Stafford – something I’ve been working on for a while – and I’m looking forward to working with the students to take their ideas forward.”
Students were tasked to create campaigns to change something they’re passionate about, working in groups to identify problems to tackle, consider who is affected and complete a root cause analysis before presenting to a panel of experts. Each ten-minute presentation explored their campaign idea and target audience in depth, all showcasing the leadership and communication skills they had developed throughout the week.
Isabel Anne Webster, student at NSCG Stafford College, said: “It was such a privilege to take part in Leigh Ingham’s Politics Summer School. I absolutely loved getting to develop and share my ideas on what I think Stafford needs with my local MP.
“I took so much from the experiences and advice from all the people I met, as well as learnt so much about how democracy functions. I feel so inspired now, and I’d really recommend the Politics Summer School to anyone!”
James Foley, student at NSCG Stafford College, said: “I enjoyed the London day so much that I can’t pick a favourite bit! But I particularly enjoyed the Q&A with Rachel Reeves and the tour of Downing Street, as well as meeting Sir Lindsay Hoyle and hearing about his role as Speaker. It was great to see a Parliamentary debate in real life too as it really helped contextualise what I’ve studied in my Politics A Level.”
Attended by students from across the region, the summer school, which began with four days of classroom-based sessions, also featured Q&A sessions with Journalist Kerry Ashdown and a representative from Women’s Aid respectively, and a visit to parliament for a workshop with the Parliamentary Education Team. Concluding with an awards ceremony and a showcase of the projects created over the course of the week, the experience gave learners vital insights into the world of professional politics and lending new perspectives to support their A Level programmes.