On Wednesday 16 September, learners from Ysgol Hendrefelin voted in our Y Senedd elections. Every class took part.

The polling station was the real thing.

The Electoral Services Manager at Neath Port Talbot Council loaned the school a foldable polling screen and a ballot box with a lid. Learners stepped behind the screen, marked their ballot paper in private and posted their vote through the slot. Adults follow the same steps at a real polling station.

Each ballot paper listed the nominees from the learner's own class. In the days before the vote, every candidate spoke to their class or presented a poster. Candidates explained their strengths and why they would make a good Member of Y Senedd. Classmates listened, asked questions and then made their choice.

The newly elected Members of Y Senedd will now form the school's committees. Over the coming weeks, they will work with staff on the issues learners care about most.

Our election came four months after a national one. On 7 May 2026, voters across Wales elected 96 Members of the Senedd. Young people aged 16 and 17 have the right to vote in Senedd elections, so many of our older learners will join them at the ballot box within a few years. Practising with real equipment now makes polling day familiar.

Diolch yn fawr to the Electoral Services team at Neath Port Talbot Council for the loan of the equipment. Llongyfarchiadau to our new Members of Y Senedd.

Every learner had a vote. Every vote counted.