Schools are being encouraged to take part in UK Parliament Week, the annual festival which aims to engage young with people parliament, politics and democracy. 

UK Parliament Week

Teachers can now sign up to take part in UK Parliament Week in November. 

Running from 1st - 7th November, teachers can now sign up to receive a free kit which includes helpful resources and extras such as an activity booklet, bunting, a ballot box, stickers and more.

Teachers can pick and choose from the options in the booklet and tailor activities to suit the age group and needs of their class.

Last year more than 1.2 million people took part in the initiative which aims to get people talking about democracy, people power and making change happen.

Each child who takes part in the week will get a digital certificate if the feedback survey, which will be emailed out at the start of the week, is completed. 

You can watch the trailer for the festival below

Activity ideas

Teachers and pupils took part in almost 12,000 different activities across the week in 2019, with schools celebrating the festival in various ways. Some of these included:

  • Q&A sessions, quizzes and debates.
  • Creating petitions and campaigning for change.
  • Making videos and posting online.
  • Debating issues and holding votes.
  • Themed assemblies and school council elections.
  • Baking, crafting and colouring.
  • Visits from MPs, members of the House of Lords, local councillors and more.

UK Parliament Week

One of the many activities on offer involves pupils creating their own campaigns.

Outreach sessions

Teachers can also book a free online workshop, suitable for both Primary and Secondary pupils, which is hosted by trained education staff from UK Parliament.

The 45-60 minute sessions cover a broad range of topics and can be tailored to the needs of the class, as well as linking to the curriculum.  

Each workshop is designed to help students find out more about their local Member of Parliament (MP), how they represent them in the House of Commons and the issues they can help with.

Through the chat box function, students will be encouraged to discuss which qualities an individual needs to become an MP.

For more information about UK Parliament week and to sign up, visit www.ukparliamentweek.org.

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