Educational resources
Judiciary and the Rule of Law
This short video gives an overview of the independent judicial system of England and Wales, illustrating its history from the Magna Carta to present day. It explains the separation of powers, the different types of courts and tribunals, and dispels some of the myths that surround being a judge.
Judges talking about their work: day in the life
Learn more about our judges
Careers portal: Judges talk about their careers
You be the Judge – online interactive platform
You be the Judge gives you the opportunity to sit in the judge’s or magistrates’ chair to see how sentencing works. There are six scenarios to watch based on real-life examples.
Listen to the facts of each case, weigh up the aggravating and mitigating factors, and then use your judgement to decide what you think the sentence should be. At the end, you will see how your sentence compares with the one handed down by the judge or the magistrates.
Free online course
‘Introduction to the Rule of Law’ – Online course in partnership with the University of Law.
Learn more about the judiciary of England and Wales, and the Rule of Law, and discover how it affects us.
Young Citizens
Young Citizens is an initiative of the Citizenship Foundation and are the UK’s leader in the field for public legal education for young people. Available on their website are lesson plans tailored to Key Stages which schools can use to facilitate active learning and immersive classroom debates. Examples include, ‘Climate Action – Using the Law to Drive Change’ and ‘An Introduction to Human Rights.’ To access this fantastic range of teaching resources for free, schools must simply subscribe or create an account. You can also find information about national competitions, such as the ‘Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial.’
Free teaching resources covering topics such as ‘Ethics, Innovation and the Law’, ‘Citizenship – a privilege or a right?’, and ‘The Law in Wales’.
The National Justice Museum
The National Justice Museum provide inspirational curriculum linked educational visits including programmes at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Rolls Building and Barkingside Magistrates’ Court. Through initiatives for Key Stages 1-5 they use real life events to educate young people about the law and justice. To enquire, schools must simply submit a short form.
The Bingham Centre
The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law was named after Tom Bingham d 2010 (The Rt Hon Lord Bingham of Cornhill KG) who promoted the maintenance, development and promotion of the rule of law. Lord Bingham was a former Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and Senior Law Lord of the United Kingdom. The charity seeks to provide an intellectual framework to define and implement the rule of law as a universal and practical concept, highlight threats to the rule of law, produce high quality studies and training on rule of law issues, and demonstrate how the rule of law upholds respect for human dignity and enhances economic development and political stability. They have resource packs available introducing the rule of law within the context of the citizenship curriculum and a range of resources available.
Funded by the Sybil Shine Memorial Trust, the Public and Youth Engagement programme aims to unite public legal education and active citizenship by developing young people’s legal capability through a series of workshops. These workshops are run by our trained volunteers, ‘session leaders’ who are themselves, early-career legal professionals. For more information, click the link below or contact Michelle Kamya, Impact Coordinator at m.kamya@binghamcentre.biicl.org.
Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT)
ACT is the subject association for Citizenship representing teachers and others involved in Citizenship education. It was founded in 2001 by Professor, Sir Bernard Crick and set up as a registered charity. Their mission is to support the teaching of high-quality Citizenship and to promote wider public understanding of the subject. They also promote research into the participation of young people in society. They have a range of materials available including high quality teaching materials such as their journal ‘Teaching Citizenship’.
Kids Law Podcast
‘Kids Law’ is hosted by 10-year-old Alma-Constance Denis-Smith, a schoolgirl with a passion for the law, with support from lawyer Lucinda Acland. In each episode the hosts talk to experts in the legal field about what children should know about the impact of law in their lives.
If you wish to leave any feedback on this information, please email schools@judiciary.uk