Free lesson plans designed to help children understand the rule of law, their rights and the legal system have been made available to every school in England and Wales.
The classroom resources have been developed through a partnership between the Attorney General’s Office, Oak National Academy and the Association for Citizenship Teaching, with the aim of making it easier for teachers to deliver citizenship education.
The materials cover pupils from Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 4, with age-appropriate lessons ranging from why rules exist for five-year-olds to discussions about contemporary challenges to the rule of law for older students.
Each lesson includes worksheets, explainer videos and quizzes and is available free of charge through Oak National Academy, which is used by around three-quarters of schools in England and is backed by the Department for Education.
The initiative comes as schools continue to review how citizenship and civic education are taught. The rule of law is one of the Department for Education’s Fundamental British Values, which schools are expected to promote as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
The new resources have been shaped by teachers and education experts and are intended to build pupils’ understanding gradually, beginning with familiar concepts such as fairness, rules and consequences before introducing more complex legal principles.
The lesson plans explore five core themes: acting within the law, equality before the law, judicial independence, legal certainty and access to justice.
The programme also follows research suggesting young people want to learn more about how democracy and public institutions work. According to Electoral Commission research, 72% of people aged 11 to 25 would like to receive more teaching about elections and politics in school.
The Attorney General’s Office said the resources are intended to give schools access to high-quality teaching materials that help pupils understand the laws that protect them and the role the legal system plays in society.
Oak National Academy said the lesson plans aim to help teachers tackle what can be a complex subject by providing structured, classroom-ready resources that make the rule of law more relevant and accessible to young people.
The Attorney General, Richard Hermer KC, said: ‘Every child deserves to understand the laws and rights that protect them. Until now, too many schools have lacked the high-quality resources to teach that with confidence. These free lesson plans, developed with Oak National Academy and the Association of Citizenship Teachers, change that.’
John Roberts, CEO of Oak National Academy said: ‘It’s been brilliant to work with the Attorney General’s Office to develop these resources, and give teachers the tools to bring important conversations about the rule of law into the classroom.
‘By helping pupils understand their rights, the protections the law provides, and the role they play in society, these lessons will support young people to become informed, active citizens.’
The lesson plans are now available for teachers to download from Oak National Academy’s website.
Photo: Quilia
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