Now in its fourth year, The Big Legal Lesson is Young Citizens’ national campaign to help teachers start a conversation about the law.
Sponsored by Mishcon de Reya and supported by The Law Society, The Big Legal Lesson provides teachers with the tools they need to confidently introduce the law in classrooms.
What’s involved?
From the youngest primary school pupils to post-16 students, we have free and flexible resources for all levels of learning. By joining The Big Legal Lesson, teachers can access:
- An age-appropriate 15-minute legal taster activity exploring how we all interact with the law every single day.
- An age-appropriate lesson plan exploring what the law is, who has the power to change the law and how these changes affect the lives of you and your students.
- A media support pack full of sample social media posts, branded graphics, press releases and more.
Since 2020, thousands of teachers have registered to take part, reaching over 150,000 young people. This makes it the largest public legal education campaign of its kind.
Last year, 96% of teachers said that it allowed their students to better understand the rule of law and how it applies to their lives. 92% of teachers said they’d recommend it to a colleague.
Why it’s important
Only 25% of people claim to know their legal position completely when they experience a legal problem, and nearly two-thirds of the UK are unaware of basic legal rights. We want to change this from the bottom up.
Ashley Hodges, Young Citizens’ CEO, said: “To create a thriving democracy, young people need positive encounters with the legal system as early as possible in their education. For the fourth year running, we are proud to launch The Big Legal Lesson to help teachers at all levels start a conversation about law and justice in classrooms.
“Every young person should understand their rights, responsibilities and the rule of law, whether or not they go into legal careers. With the support of Mishcon de Reya and The Law Society, we hope The Big Legal Lesson 2023 will light the spark of legal education for thousands of learners across England and Wales.”
Join the campaign!
We want teachers to deliver the lesson between 13-24th March 2023.
Join our biggest teaching campaign of the year!
Our history in legal education
Young Citizens has a proud history of supporting Public Legal Education. Founded in 1989 as The Citizenship Foundation by former solicitor Baron Philips of Sudbury, we deliver the National Mock Trials Competitions every year, providing thousands of students with the chance to experience a courtroom case. We are supported by The Bar Council and the Law Society to increase legal literacy amongst our young people.