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Lesson plans for teaching about the law in schools

Nearly 2/3 of us do not know our basic legal rights, and just 13% of A-level students have received a lesson about the law. To achieve a thriving democracy, this needs to change. We believe legal literacy should start in schools.

As well as running the Mock Trial Competitions each year, we also have a huge suite of resources for teaching about the law for both primary and secondary learners.

This includes The Big Legal Lesson, our annual campaign to start a conversation about the legal and justice system in England and Wales.

Teachers! To make things easy for you, here are some of our favourite lessons for teaching about the law from across our resource library…

 

Why Do We Have Laws? (KS2)

This resource pack encourages pupils to explore why laws are necessary and how they are made. They will learn about various job roles and consider what part they can play within democracy.

Download the lesson plan

 

What Are Human Rights? (KS2) 

Pupils will be provided with a basic overview of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and how the law in the UK protects all citizens’ human rights.

Download the lesson plan

 

Citizenship: A Privilege or a Right? (KS4)

Here, students will explore what it means to be a citizen of the UK. The lesson uses a case study to encourage students to critically discuss the various roles of politicians and the court in decision-making processes.

Download the lesson plan

 

Ethics, Innovation and the Law (KS4 & Post-16)

What will the law look like in the future? Students will examine how technology has evolved in the past few years and consider who should be held accountable for ensuring it is used in a responsible way.

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An Introduction to Human Rights (KS5)

Students will explore individual rights and responsibilities and how they are protected in law. They will also be encouraged to debate if there are any situations where human rights can be restricted.

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Where next?