Overview
The law affects every aspect of our lives, but children and young people rarely learn about it in the classroom. We want to empower teachers to start a conversation about the law in schools.
Running throughout February 2025, The Big Legal Lesson provides the tools you need to confidently introduce the law into your classroom.
What’s in the resource packs?
The Big Legal Lesson is a starting point for pupils to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to navigate an increasingly complex world. Pupils explore questions such as:
- What is the law and how does it affect my daily life?
- Who has the power to make and change the law? How do recent changes to the law affect me?
- What new laws would I like to see and how can I make my voice heard by those in power?
Share the good news!
Send us your photos, ideas and feedback via social media @YoungCitizensUK using the hashtag #TheBigLegalLesson.
“I had positive feedback from every class due to the active nature of the activities, and the children thoroughly enjoyed learning about their rights and responsibilities.”
Primary School Teacher, The Big Legal Lesson
Looking for the secondary and further education resources? Access the resource pack for ages 11-18+ here.
Explore more resources about the law in our resource library
More Assemblies resources
Belonging to Groups
This assembly asks children to think about the groups they belong to, and how groups can be used for good or bad. It includes ideas for demonstrating how we can…
The Gift of Hope
During this assembly pupils are told the ancient Greek myth, Pandora’s Box. Pupils use the story to reflect on how hope can sustain us through difficult times. To access this content,…
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,…
More Lessons resources
Preventing Infectious Diseases
This lesson should be delivered as a follow-up to the lesson ‘What is an infectious disease?’ In this lesson pupils will recap their knowledge of infectious diseases, they will then…
Understanding Cancer
Many children in classrooms all around the country are dealing with cancer in one way or another at any given time. This lesson seeks to answer some of their questions…
Plastic Pollution (KS1)
During this lesson children explore the environmental effects of plastic pollution by carrying out a number of experiments. They then go on to consider how they can take action against…
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Conflicting Rights
In this lesson pupils will revisit their knowledge of human rights to consider situations in which people’s rights may appear in conflict with one another. Pupils will debate how they…
Sentencing Guidelines (SmartLaw Subscription)
This lesson asks students to consider the key findings of a harassment trial and conclude what sentence should be given to the guilty party. During the course of the lesson…
What is a Digital Citizen?
In the delivery of this resource your students will explore what is meant by the term ‘digital citizen’. They...
More KS1 (ages 5-7) resources
Tongue: The Power of Words
In this lesson pupils will read a tale adapted from Carib tradition which tells of how words can be used for good or bad. In discussion, pupils will consider the…
Anna’s Monster Lies
In this lesson pupils will read the story of Anna who tells lies to avoid getting into trouble. As she lies a monster (her conscience) starts to follow her, growing…
Making a Difference (certificate)
Our pupil certificates are linked to 12 ethos statements, such as We Make a Difference in our Communities. Each statement supports character development and the acquisition of key citizenship skills The…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
What Happens When Laws are Broken?
During this lesson pupils explore what happens when laws are broken, learn about the different types of sentences that are given and the main purposes of sentencing. Before taking part…
Conflict: Part 2 – Mediation
In this lesson pupils will discuss the principles of simple mediation strategies and apply these in role play scenarios to explore how people can voice and resolve their differences. The…
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…