STUDENTS at Priestley College were encouraged to become more engaged with politics following a talk from a member of the House of Lords.

Lord John Sharkey met A-Level students for an hour to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords.

This was followed by a questions and answers session on the various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster.

Senior tutor Mark Salmon said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to interact with someone who knows the parliamentary system inside out as politics can sometimes seem far removed from their daily lives.”

The visit was arranged through the Lord Speaker’s ‘Peers in Schools’ programme, which has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 75,000 young people.

It sends members of the House of Lords into schools/academies and colleges across the country to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.

Lord Sharkey’s visit followed months of focus at Priestley College on the political process, which included high-profile visits from former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Tristram Hunt of the Labour Party.

During the General Election campaign all the Warrington candidates met students while those with a passion for politics also staged their own hustings events.

“At Priestley we feel it is very important to generate interest in politics to help students feel engaged with the political process,” said Mark Salmon.