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
Resilience: Bouncing Back
This lesson helps children to develop resilience and consider how to respond to challenges in a positive way. The Go-Givers characters share their experiences of difficult situations and how they…
Children’s Rights
In this lesson pupils will learn that there are specific rights for children which are set out in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Pupils will…
More Politics and Democracy resources
Democracy (Part 2): Local and Central Government
This lesson forms the second part of a three-part unit on democracy. Pupils learn about the function of central and local government and the difference between MPs and councillors. Pupils explore…
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…
An Introduction to Human Rights
In this lesson students will explore our rights and responsibilities and how they are protected in law. They are...
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
Family Law – Cohabitation and Marriage (SmartLaw Subscription)
During the course of the lesson students will learn the difference between marriage and cohabitation and consider what legal rights come with both. Students will explore the changing attitudes in…
Youth Justice (SmartLaw Subscription)
During this lesson, students will explore the process a young person goes through when they commit, or are suspected of committing a crime. They will also examine different types of…
Citizenship: a privilege or a right?
Students research what the law says about the rights of individuals to become UK citizens and critically examine whether...
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
What is Philanthropy?
In this lesson pupils will learn about the meaning of the word philanthropy through looking at real life examples. They will consider why philanthropy is important and what motivates philanthropists.…
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…
Make a Difference in a Day
The Make a Difference in a Day resource pack has been created for teachers who want to deliver a...
More resource packs
Related content
Bring About Change
A youth-led social action programme for secondary and post-16 learners.
Homelessness
Year 6 at Churchhill Primary School in Kent explain how they made a difference to homeless people.
Why teach citizenship?
Citizenship is a statutory national curriculum subject There are many reasons to teach citizenship. For a start, it is...