Delivering the understand strand | Secondary school

Key topics

• The history and development of democracy.
• Local, regional, devolved and UK government.
• Electoral systems and democratic processes.
• How laws and policies are made.

Why the Understand strand matters in secondary schools

Understanding democratic structures and institutions gives learners the knowledge they need to understand how decisions are made, where power lies and how institutions interact. Students need to understand how the UK's democratic system operates and the roles of different institutions before they can understand how decisions are made and where power lies.

This knowledge is also important because it helps learners understand how they can participate in democracy. By developing an understanding of the different institutions and roles of elected officials, learners recognise who is responsible for different decisions, how they can hold decision-makers to account and where they can make their voices heard.

A key challenge is that politics and democratic institutions can appear distant, complicated or irrelevant to learners. They arrive with different levels of prior knowledge and confidence, while non-specialist teachers may feel uncertain about teaching contemporary political issues while maintaining political impartiality. There is also a risk that institutional learning becomes a process of memorising roles and structures without understanding how these operate in practice.

Secondary schools can address these challenges by:

• Connecting institutional learning to issues that matter to learners. Using local and real-world examples wherever possible.
• Providing visits to democratic institutions such as UK Parliament or a local council and engaging with elected representatives.
• Seek out resources and guidance from external organisations with specific expertise and speciality to strengthen teacher confidence and support political impartiality.

My approach

My approach is to help learners understand that democratic institutions are not distant organisations, but systems that make decisions affecting their everyday lives.

I would recommend to:

• Start with responsibility: explore who makes decisions at different levels of government and link to issues learners care about.
• Connect institutions to real life: use current affairs, local issues and real-world examples to show how democratic decisions affect communities
• Provide authentic experiences: at The Bridge Academy, this includes annual visits to UK Parliament and visits from elected representatives. These experiences make institutions more accessible and challenge misconceptions.
• Encourage critical thinking: give learners opportunities to ask questions, challenge assumptions and evaluate different viewpoints.
• Make democracy tangible: where possible, provide opportunities to visit democratic institutions or meet decision-makers to understand their roles.
• Model impartiality. When discussing political issues, distinguish between explaining how a system works and expressing a personal political view. Encourage learners to ask questions and evaluate evidence rather than expecting them to reach a particular conclusion.

If you only do one thing…

Ensure that learners understand how institutions connect to their own lives. Provide tangible examples of decisions that impact their day to day lives so they can connect formal politics to their everyday experiences.

Where this fits into the curriculum

• Citizenship - The statutory Citizenship curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 provides the strongest opportunity to develop learners' understanding of democratic structures and institutions.
• History – The development of democracy, voting rights, constitutional change and political reform. This can help learners understand how democratic institutions and rights have developed over time.
• English – Political speeches, persuasive language and debate. Learners can explore how political arguments are constructed and how language is used to persuade different audiences.
• Religious Studies – Justice, rights, ethics, democracy and different worldviews.
• Geography – local decision-making, planning, sustainability and government.
• PSHE and Tutor Time – current affairs, democratic institutions and how decisions are made.
• Assemblies and Enrichment – UK Parliament Week, Parliament, local government, democratic institutions and relevant current affairs.
• Student Leadership – understanding representation, decision-making and the role of school councils. This can help learners connect democratic structures to their own experiences of representation and decision making within the school.

Key resources

If you have 30 minutes or less…

• What is the House of Commons: A guide for secondary school students and What is the House of Lords: A guide for secondary school students from UK Parliament– Short videos introducing each institution, suitable for assemblies or tutor time.
• Assembly on understanding voting, The Electoral Commission – Assembly resources introducing politics, democracy, local democracy and elections.

1 hour…

• The Houses of Parliament virtual tour, UK Parliament – Learners explore key areas of the Palace of Westminster, including the House of Commons, House of Lords, Central Lobby and Westminster Hall, investigating what happens in each space. This can be combined with the above resources to extend learning about Parliament and democratic institutions, providing a flexible 1-hour lesson.

1-3 hours…

• Understanding UK national government, The Politics Project - This a great follow up to the Houses of Parliament Virtual Tour above, explaining what the UK National Government is and the role of MPs in legislating.

4-6 hours…

• Understanding the House of Lords, The Politics Project - Further to the session on UK National Government, you can then explain what the House of Lords is and the role peers have in the UK political system.

6 hours plus…

• Citizenship secondary core, Oak National Academy – A range of curriculum-aligned schemes of work developing learners’ understanding of democratic institutions, political power, Parliament, local government and decision-making.

Considerations for learners with additional needs

Students with additional needs may benefit from additional scaffolding, repetition and practical activities to make democratic institutions, roles and processes more accessible.

• Political vocabulary: explicitly teach key terms such as Parliament, Government, councillor, MP, democracy, constituency and devolved powers, using clear explanations and repeated use.
• Structures and relationships: use diagrams, visual maps and graphic organisers to show who is responsible for what and how local, regional and national institutions interact.
• Sequencing processes: break complex processes, such as how a Bill becomes an Act or how decisions are made at different levels of government, into clear, sequential steps.
• Roles and responsibilities: use simplified case studies, scenarios and role-play to help learners distinguish between the roles of MPs, councillors, Government, Parliament and other public institutions.
• Local and real-world examples: use familiar issues from learners' communities to help them identify which institution or representative is responsible for particular decisions.
• Experiential learning: visits to UK Parliament, councils and other public institutions, alongside meetings with elected representatives, can make abstract structures and roles more concrete. Where visits are not possible, virtual tours, videos and classroom simulations can provide alternative opportunities for experiential learning.
• Flexible approaches: allow learners to demonstrate understanding through discussion, presentations, visual tasks or practical activities, with additional processing time where needed.
• Use consistent questions to support understanding, building familiarity with key concepts.
• Provide opportunities to revisit and apply knowledge. Learners may benefit from returning to the same institution or process in different contexts, rather than being expected to remember all the information after one engagement.