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
Learning About the Law (SmartLaw Subscription)
This lesson gives students an introduction to the legal system in the UK. During the lesson students will examine the roles of the various professionals involved in the law and…
Law Makers (SmartLaw Subscription)
In this lesson students examine what the rule of law is and why we need it. They consider how and why laws are made in the UK and what the…
Rules: You Can’t Do That Here
In this lesson pupils will consider that some rules are made to keep people safe. They will follow the story of Callum, a Go-Giver who wants to find a place…
More Politics and Democracy resources
What is Democracy?
This resource pack is the first of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the concept of democracy. Each of the packs can be delivered independently…
Brexit: Part 1 – Referendum
Pupils will be given a brief introduction to the European Union. They will learn about why people’s opinions about the EU are divided and the results of the EU referendum.…
All at Sea: a story about fairness and the rule of law
During this lesson pupils use the story ‘All at Sea’ to explore how a group of citizens should organise a new society under a challenging set of circumstances. Each chapter…
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Difficult Decisions
Over a series of short sessions, pupils will have the opportunity to consider simple social and moral dilemmas which may arise in day to day life. Pupils will be encouraged…
Democracy (Part 3): Why Do We Have Laws?
This lesson forms the final part of a three-part unit on democracy. Pupils learn about democracy and the rule of law. They discover the different roles of parliament, government and…
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 KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
Home Learning Pack
This home-learning pack has been designed to support SMSC, Citizenship and PSHE learning within a home environment. All the activities described have been taken from Go-Givers resources and adapted to…
The G7 (Lesson Plan)
During this two lesson resource pupils learn about the G7 and take part in a mock G7 Summit meeting. During the first lesson pupils explore the history and function…
More resource packs
Related content
Democracy resources for ages 5-11
It’s never too early to learn how the country is run.