Overview
During this lessons pupils will look at the history of the Magna Carta and consider how it has helped shape the laws we have today.
Pupils consider what ‘fairness’ and ‘justice’ mean by taking on the role of head teacher at a new school, deciding what rules the school should have. The lesson concludes with pupils exploring what is meant by the following clause from the Magna Carta, ‘no free man shall be imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions … except by the lawful judgement of his peers’ and how this is put into practice in today’s justice system.
You might like to run this lesson as a precursor to the lesson ‘Why do we have rules?’ which looks at how laws are made in the UK in more detail.
More Lessons resources
Design an Inclusive Playground
In this lesson pupils will consider the varying needs and interests of the Go-Giver characters and design a playground that matches these requirements. They will work in groups to present…
Who Keeps us Healthy?
In this lesson pupils consider what being healthy means and who plays a role in keeping the population healthy. The coronavirus pandemic is given as an example of populations taking…
Where do you stand?
Over a series of short sessions, pupils will have the opportunity to consider topical issues related to their school life. Pupils will consider the strength of arguments for and against…
More Politics and Democracy resources
What is Tax?
During this lesson, students will look at the purpose and collection of taxes. They will explore how public services...
Local and Central Government
This resource pack is the third of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
Climate Action: Using the Law to Drive Change
In 2021, COP26 was hosted in Glasgow. It was seen as a pivotal moment in tackling the global climate...
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Discrimination
In this lesson pupils will develop their understanding of the term ‘discrimination’. Pupils will consider what makes them unique and learn which characteristics are protected under the Equality Act. Pupils…
Mock Parliament Debate
Aimed at students in KS4 and 5 (13-18 year olds) the pack is designed to be delivered over a...
Housing Law (SmartLaw Subscription)
In this lesson students explore a range of different housing situations someone can find themselves in. They examine some of the common legal issues concerning housing including common landlord and…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
Inspirational People – Nelson Mandela
This assembly is an introduction to the life and work of Nelson Mandela. You may like to run it in conjunction with the lesson ‘Inspirational People.’ To access this content,…
Representation
Pupils consider the importance of equal representation through learning from the example of Marley Dias and her campaign for better representation of black girls in literature. To access this content,…
The G7 (Assembly Pack)
During this assembly pupils explore the history and function of the G7 and are introduced to the sort of discussions held at the annual G7 Summit. They learn about the…
More resource packs
Related content
Democracy resources for ages 5-11
It’s never too early to learn how the country is run.