Attorney General launches free Rule of Law lesson plans for every school in England and Wales
Free, classroom-ready lesson plans on the rule of law are now available to every school in England and Wales, following a new partnership between the Attorney General's Office, Oak National Academy and the Association for Citizenship Teachers.
Attorney General, Richard Hermer KC and Advocate General for Scotland Catherine Smith KC with teachers from Ark Blake Academy
The lesson plans听which aim to听teach听young people about their听rights and听the legal system,听have听been developed听with听expert educators听and shaped by feedback听from teachers.听Resources range from introductory lessons听for听five-year-olds听exploring why听rules exist, to more complex material examining contemporary threats to the听rule听of听law.听
Each lesson is accompanied by task worksheets, explainer听videos听and quizzes. The听key stages one to four听plans听are free听for teachers听to download from听the听Oak National Academy鈥檚 website:听听
Oak National Academy is used by around three-quarters of England schools and is backed by the Department for Education. The new resources are a practical exploration of what citizenship teaching could look like in light of wider curriculum review. The rule of law is identified as a Fundamental British Value by the Department for Education.
To听mark the launch, the Attorney General, Richard Hermer听KC听and Advocate General听for Scotland Catherine Smith KC visited Ark Blake Academy in Croydon听on Thursday 2 July 2026,听observing听a Year 9 lesson using the听new resources听and taking questions from students.听
The Attorney General, Richard Hermer KC, said:
Every child deserves to understand the听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听of听Citizenship Teachers, change that.
Visiting Ark Blake and seeing students engage so enthusiastically with discussions about the importance听of听the听rule听of听law听鈥� a fundamental British value - is exactly why this work matters.
John Roberts, CEO听of听Oak National Academy said:听
It鈥檚 been brilliant to work with the Attorney General鈥檚听Office to develop these听resources, and听give teachers the tools to bring important conversations about the听rule听of听law听into the classroom.
By helping pupils understand their rights, the protections the听law听provides, and the role they play in society, these lessons will support young people to become informed, active citizens.