Biggest hustings of the election campaign for MK south parliamen

Question topics were varied and ranged from help for young carers to crime reduction and meeting the infrastructure needs of a fast-growing city.

Not surprisingly, many of the questions covered education issues, with university funding and class sizes being of particular interest.

Giovanna Laryea from the Academy asked what could be done to make sure that vocational qualifications receive equal weight to academic qualifications, as she felt that they were valued by employers.

Laura Christmas from Radcliffe asked what steps could be taken to reduce prejudice and close the gap between state and private schools as competition for university place increases.

Academy Principal Lorna Caldicott said: "It was really good to see so many young people taking part in such a fascinating debate. There were lots of very good questions and interesting answers, and the event was extremely lively and thought-provoking."

The event was run on similar lines to the national debates involving party leaders with candidates having just one minute to answer questions.