Senior pupils at Tenby's Greenhill School have been given an insight into the work of local government.
Pembrokeshire County Council's sixth form conference, entitled Your Council... Your Call, visited the school recently.
The day-long event is based upon managing a local authority, such as the county council, and pupils' role-play members of the authority's cabinet who have to prepare a capital budget for the forthcoming year.
By taking decision-making into the classroom, students have to decide, for example, if it is better to amalgamate three small primary schools in the local community for one purpose-built school a few miles away, or should money be spent on a respite care centre for people with learning difficulties instead of providing a new all-weather leisure complex?
Later, pupils present their proposed budget and also prepare and submit a press statement in response to an enquiry from the media.
At the end of the day each member of the best cabinet team is presented with a prize. Team members are judged on communication skills, working together, producing and delivering a presentation and producing a press release.
Pembrokeshire County Council chief executive, Mr. Bryn Parry-Jones, who presented the prizes at Greenhill, said the conference helps pupils to understand the challenges faced by councillors and officers in setting budgets.
"It is an opportunity for students to get an insight into local government and the wide range of services delivered by their local authority," he said.
"It also emphasises the relevance and importance of voting and also introduces young people to the range of career opportunities within the council."
The presentation at Greenhill School was held during Local Democracy Week.
Your Council... Your Call follows a similar project called Local Government in Action, but has been updated to incorporate the new local government arrangements introduced in May.
The conference, organised and presented by Pembrokeshire County Council and Careers Wales West, will be visiting other secondary schools in the county in the near future.