STUDENTS at a school in Didcot have been recognised for their dedication to community work, citizenship and democracy.

Didcot Girls' School was just one of twenty schools nationally to be awarded the Discovering Democracy accolade this year.

The gong is handed out by the Cabinet Office to secondary schools that create a "positive culture of citizenship and democracy" and "develop youth participation in society".

Didcot Girls' School pupils Millie Markham and Aisha Nadeem put their democratic skills to the test when they visited Westminster to collect their award and spoke with John Penrose, MP for Weston-Super-Mare.

Eleven-year-old Millie, who has ambitions of becoming an MP herself, said she was a bit nervous at the event.

She said: "I spoke to Mr Penrose about what we were changing in the school.

"At the moment we are working on getting people to stop using social media for a week."

Millie, an active member of the school's council, said there were lots of opportunities at Didcot Girls' for people to voice their views.

She added: "It is really good because it gives people a chance to talk about what they think and what they want to change.

"I really like it – democracy is a big part of life so people our age should learn about it."

Year nine Aisha told Mr Penrose that citizenship and politics should be part of the national curriculum.

She said: "It is so important for people to learn about what is going to affect them when they’re older.

"Last year we held a mock elections and everyone in the school participated and voted.

"It was really, really fun and it is just nice to know I go to a school where we have opportunities like this."

Stuart George, head of personal development at the school, said it was great to be recognised.

He said: "We are really keen on developing the girls’ leadership and democratic skills, so once they leave here they will be able to put them into practice.

"We want them leaving this school feeling empowered that if they see injustice or do not agree with something, they have the skills to be able to speak up."