SCHOOLCHILDREN went to the polls for a general election with a difference.

Pupils at Balfour Primary in Brighton lined up to vote for their favourite drawings of the school’s mascots.

The most popular designs will go on to represent the Balfour Road school’s six animal mascots – meerkat, ant, spider, chameleon, owl and tortoise – who each represent a different quality of learning.

Nearly 900 pupils excitedly queued throughout the school day to take their turn at the makeshift polling station complete with returning officer and electoral clerks – the school governors.

Pupils were given instructions to mark a cross next to their favourite design for each of the six animals at the polling booth before putting their ballot card in a black box.

One Year 5 student said: “I think that this will be really helpful for when I’m 18 and able to vote.

“But I think we should have curtains next time.”

Vardean School’s five pygmy goats Alan, Ethel, Maya, Bertrand and William also got involved, chomping on their favourite designs.

Hundreds of the children submitted drawings for the mascots.

These were whittled down in an online poll and three drawings for each animal were put to the vote.

School governor Rachel Cashman said: “The school has an ethos around the joy of not knowing, which gets children to drive their own understanding and embrace their curiosity.

“So we are using a creative approach like a general election with the mascots so children of every age across the school can be an active partipant, both in learning about democracy and understanding what it means to them.”