Improving democratic education
Case study overview
From January to March 2026, Just2easy and the Electoral Commission delivered a programme helping primary pupils across Northern Ireland understand voting, elections and democratic decision-making. Through teacher training, live lessons and classroom resources, pupils explored how democracy works and practised expressing opinions, listening to different perspectives and taking part in decisions. Teachers gained practical ways to make these experiences part of classroom learning and wider school life. Beginning in primary school allowed pupils to build their knowledge and participation skills gradually. Just2easy’s platform, licensed to every school in Northern Ireland through the Education Authority, provided a familiar way for schools to access the programme.
How it worked
The programme had three connected parts:
- Classroom resources: Schools received 62 activities for pupils from Early Years to upper KS2. These included writing and thinking prompts, votes, tutorials and research tasks.
- Live lessons: Two progressive pairs of lessons for KS1 and KS2 explored voting, ballot secrecy and manifestos, giving pupils practical experience of democratic processes.
- Teacher training: Sessions helped teachers use approaches such as classroom voting, school councils and inclusive participation across the curriculum and wider school life.
The pupil activities became more challenging with age. Younger children began by expressing preferences and listening to other people’s ideas. Older pupils explored more complex concepts, including fairness, representation and respectful debate.
Impact
The live lessons reached around 3,600 primary-aged pupils in 150 classrooms. Recordings remain available on YouTube, allowing schools to continue using them after the original project.
All participants rated the teacher training as good or excellent. They highlighted its practical relevance, “realistic and innovative” digital learning opportunities and “expert delivery”. Staff also described the sessions as “purposeful”, “engaging” and “high-impact”.
Teachers travelled from across Northern Ireland to attend the in-person training, and five schools requested additional dates or training for their whole staff.
The combination of training and ready-to-use resources gave teachers practical ways to continue democratic education in their schools beyond the project.
Key strengths
The main strength of the programme was the way its three parts worked together.
Teacher training introduced the principles of democratic education and practical ways to apply them in school. The live lessons modelled these approaches with pupils, while the classroom resources allowed teachers to continue the learning themselves.
The progressive structure helped pupils build their understanding over time. Activities moved from familiar experiences, such as expressing a preference or taking part in a vote, towards more complex ideas about elections, representation and debate.
Using a platform that schools already knew also made it easier for teachers to access the materials and include them in existing classroom practice.
Key learning
- Root democratic education in familiar experiences, such as classroom voting, shared decision-making and expressing opinions respectfully.
- Make participation part of everyday school life rather than limiting it to one-off lessons or events.
- Revisit democratic ideas at different ages, increasing the complexity as pupils’ understanding develops.
- Give teachers practical resources and examples that they can use immediately and adapt for their pupils.
Further information
Explore the live lesson playlist and Just2easy resource library for more information and classroom resources.