Vijay Rangarajan, the chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said democratic education would be rolled out at first to those aged over 14 in preparation for votes at 16 at the next election. He said pupils should start at age 11 to be best prepared to vote at 16 and 17.

The Electoral Commission is preparing material to give to schools to help with democratic education, amid calls from some politicians, such as David Blunkett, for better preparation.

A poll of 6,000 teachers by Teacher Tapp found that more than 80% do not think the national curriculum currently prepares children enough to be able to vote at age 16, while about half of 16- and 17-year-olds have said they do not feel adequately well informed to be given the vote.

He said providing material nationally as an elections watchdog meant that teachers could “blame us if parents don’t always like it” but it was essential to get good levels of engagement among young people. The elections chief also said it was crucial to get young people thinking how to evaluate online material critically and tell what misinformation is.