AMPLEFORTH College could have its own polling station to help pupils and staff vote in forthcoming elections, a senior Labour politician has suggested in the House of Commons.

Chris Bryant, opposition spokesman on political and constitutional matters, told MPs the school, which is attached to Ampleforth Abbey, had a “large number of pupils over the age of 18 and a large number of teachers who live on a very large campus.

“I see no reason why there should not be a polling station for Ampleforth itself.” He said other large public schools could have polling stations as well because their campuses were as large as some existing polling districts. Under current law, state funded schools, but not privately owned schools, can be compelled to allow their premises to be used as polling stations, and electoral officers routinely use them. Free schools and academies come into the same category.

A spokeswoman for the college said: “Anything that encourages young people to engage in the political decision process is welcome.”

Politics is already on the college’s syllabus, with some A-level students taking modules in the subject. In the run-up to the General Election earlier this year, the school ran its own mock elections, with pupils standing for individual parties and campaigning.

It has 400 members of staff, some of whom live away from the Abbey and therefore would not be registered to vote at a polling station on campus. The number of pupils aged 18 varies throughout the year and they can only be in the second year of the Sixth Form, which currently has 137 pupils.

Mark Harper, political and constitutional reform minister, told the House of Commons privately funded schools could volunteer to host a polling station.