AS election time draws near, politicians attempt to lure young and old alike into the polling booths in a bid to combat "voter apathy".

An estimated 38 per cent of the Worcester electorate won't bother to cast a vote on May 5 and it remains a major issue.

A key group in the battle to enthuse voters has always been the young - traditionally thought to be among the most apathetic.

A recent Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey aimed to find out whether this was indeed the case among the schoolchildren who will be eligible to vote next time round.

The findings were surprising.

Around 1,000 youngsters were asked whether the voting age should be lowered from 18 to 16 - the question ATL chose to indicate political interest - but their views were split 50-50.

Among the younger children there was overwhelming support for the idea - 90 per cent of Year 6 and 77 per cent of Year 7pupils, wanted to vote earlier.

Worryingly, the closer students got to voting age, the less they wanted to be involved.

By Year 10 - 14 and 15-year-olds - just 36 per cent wanted to vote at 16, and in Year 12, just three in ten 16 and 17-year-olds wanted to be able to vote at their age.

"At 11 and 12 years of age, the children are in favour of lowering the current voting age," said Ralph Surman, an executive member of ATL.

"Their comments are so up beat and encouraging. What seems to happen?"

Many of the reasons given by 14 to 16-year-olds for not wanting to lower the age are both sensible and concerning in equal measure.

Some claimed they were not sufficiently aware of the issues to make informed decisions while others admitted they would be easily influenced by "superficial" arguments of politicians.

However, other responses claimed they were too irresponsible or uninterested, while "many" simply said they would never vote - a sad outlook for politics across the country.

"Those that we have spoken to have a negative view of society and seem disaffected and switched off," continued Mr Surman.

"They are not engaged by politics and issues of democracy. They are oblivious to the positive role they could have in shaping their lives and the lives of others."

Strong stuff, but is it fair?

Clearly a health warning has to be issued, as students wishing to leave the voting age unchanged is not the same as saying they have no interest in politics.

In fact, according to Pershore High School's headteacher, Clive Corbett, young people have plenty of views - if they dislike politics it is for a different reason altogether.

"I find these conclusions very depressing," he said.

"In my experience, youngsters are not turned off by issues but by political parties. They have extremely strong views and very sensible things to say."

In school, the key is to involve youngsters in political processes to whet their appetite, something that has proved popular and successful over the years at Pershore High. For example:

n They were national winners of the Youth Parliament competition in 1994 and regional winners four times in the past decade.

n Five pupils have become members of Worcestershire County Council's youth cabinet over the past two years.

n They have taken part in countywide "active citizenship" debating days on crime and punishment.

n They have held debates with leading Worcestershire MPs and councillors.

"Twenty years ago, I probably thought it was right to sit the kids down with a video about politics to teach them," said Mr Corbett.

"Now it is obvious that if you do that they are bound to be turned off. They need to be involved.

"We don't want to send out a bunch of youngsters that think exactly the way we think.

"I want to see youngsters who care about things and even get angry - in the right way - about issues that matter to them."

To emphasise the hands-on approach, the Station Road school has organised a mock General Election, to coincide with the real thing, on May 5.

There will be candidates, voting cards and hustings, with the chance to quiz student "politicians" on their policies.

"There is no doubt that youngsters have strong views, such as when students walked out of schools all over Worcestershire over the war in Iraq," said Mr Corbett.

"One of the big arguments they come up with against voting is 'I only have one vote and it won't affect anything.'

"We have to show them their vote is important and if everyone had the same thought there would be real problems."

Texts are not the way to keep students in touch

UNIVERSITY lecturers have taken to texting revision tips, timetables, appointment times and coursework feedback straight to their students' mobile phones.

The Wolverhampton University project is said to be cheaper and easier than sending letters.

It also saves time for students living off-campus, who would otherwise have to travel in to check noticeboards.

John Traxler, a fellow at the university who is leading the initiative, said the project was both quick and efficient.

I'm sure this was an inevitable step but I can't help thinking the easiest and fairest way to give people crucial information is at the same time in a clearly written format.

Having already had one friend who, after sitting professional exams, had the wrong results sent to him by the company trialling a similar system, there are obvious concerns.

In today's litigious society, the first student who misses an exam because he or she has been sent a text with the wrong time will no doubt seek immediate legal action.