Results & Impact
Each week hundreds of thousands of young people vote on our latest lesson. Here's what they say, and how their voices are changing the world.
27th March - 17th April 2026
The Bank of England recently announced the results of a public consultation about what should feature on their new series of banknotes. Over 44,000 members of the public contributed, with the majority (60%) selecting British wildlife as their preferred theme. Wildlife charities have welcomed the decision, with the RSPCA saying it is a “wonderful way to celebrate the animals that we share our towns, cities and countryside with”. But it is not without its critics. Some MPs have spoken out against the change, particularly the removal of Sir Winston Churchill. Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said that it is “removing our history”. We wanted to know what young people thought about this change and with which side of the debate they felt most aligned. Do they see it as an opportunity to celebrate a new part of British culture, or as an erosion of our past?
Primary 7-11, Secondary, 16+ & College voters discussed, “Would you like to see wildlife on UK banknotes?”, while Primary 5-7 voters were asked, “Would you like to see pictures of wildlife on UK banknotes?"
54,304 young people in the UK have taken part in this vote.
total votes
voters aged 5-11
voters aged 11-16+
You can see how our voting is impacting the world on our impact page:
Our Impact
Louis Theroux’s “Inside the Manosphere” has sparked conversations around the kind of online content influencing our young people, especially boys and young men. Views and subcultures previously found in fringe spaces are being brought into the mainstream and the strange world of looksmaxxing is a prime example. Emerging from message boards dedicated to pick-up artistry and so-called incel culture, looksmaxxing focuses on improving physical appearance to increase social status, particularly when it comes to dating success. Ranging from seemingly harmless advice around skincare and fitness (softmaxxing) to a darker world of DIY “bonesmashing” programmes to alter facial structure (hardmaxxing), looksmaxxing’s influence is becoming harder to ignore. For some, it is just part of self-improvement but to others, it’s part of a dangerous online community. With many adults unaware of this new culture, we wanted to ask young people what they think of the growing influence of looksmaxxing.
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13th - 20th March 2026
The situation in Iran is ever-changing and a challenging topic for teachers to approach in the classroom. It’s easy to find misinformation, conflicting arguments and confusing stories online, which is where the majority of young people find their news. With these lessons, VotesforSchools aimed to give young people a better understanding of what’s going on beneath the headlines, whilst supporting teachers to facilitate important discussions about the conflict. They explored the significance of geography, a timeline of events to provide essential context and the different opinions that have been shared on the US, Israel and Iran’s actions. As with all their VotesforSchools lessons, the focus was on providing unbiased information to facilitate an important discussion, so that young people have the confidence to share their thoughts on significant issues. Given the rapidly developing situation in Iran, please note that the lesson content was up to date as of 12th March 2026.
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06th - 13th March 2026
Traditional school uniforms are often used as a debate topic in classrooms for young people to reflect on the pros and cons of having a set of school-identifying attire. A less-discussed aspect of the debate is what a uniform should comprise of; common choices include ties, blazers, smart trousers and knee-length skirts. Is this an outdated and impractical system? In their VotesforSchools lessons, we asked our voters to consider the introduction of an “active uniform”, where clothes would prioritise movement, breathability and comfort. Meanwhile, 16+ & College students considered their previous experience of wearing a school uniform and how far they believe it helped to prepare them for entering adulthood and the world of work. Close to 60,000 young people responded to the vote, with many more discussing the topic in classrooms across the UK.
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