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
What is Debt?
Students will explore issues around money, personal and sovereign debt and consider the impact government borrowing has on future...
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...
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
The Government and the Economy
By the end of the lesson students will: Understand key economic terms including taxation, welfare benefits, public spending and...
Be Your Own Councillor
Students examine ways in which a fictional town council could spend its budget. They consider the concerns of different...
Biodiversity: Using the Law to Drive Change
During this lesson, students consider what biodiversity is, why it is essential to all life on Earth and what...
More Understanding Rules & The Law resources
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...
What Happens When Rules are Broken?
Pupils consider what happens when rules are broken. They explore what consequences are, how we can ensure that consequences are fair and what information someone might need to have before…
Rights and Responsibilities
In this lesson pupils will develop an understanding of the terms ‘rights’ and ‘responsibilities’ and how they balance one another. They will then discuss and prepare a class charter that…
More KS2 (ages 7-11) resources
We Consider Other Viewpoints Before Making Up Our Minds (poster)
We speak our minds but also listen to and consider other people’s points of view. To access this content, register for our School Subscription.
What is an Infectious Disease?
In this lesson pupils consider how infections can spread rapidly through a population and are introduced to the different infectious agents that cause disease (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasitic organisms).…
Conflict: Part 1 – Reacting to Conflict
In this lesson pupils will take part in discussions relating to situations of conflict. Pupils will consider actions which provoke conflict and actions which can help to calm conflict. They…