Delivering the take part strand | Secondary school

Key topics

• Why voting matters.
• Representation and who can vote.
• Political parties, candidates, manifestos and election campaigns.
• How voting and elections work.

Why the Take part strand matters in secondary schools

Elections and voting are central to representative democracy. Learners need to understand why voting matters, how elections work and how to make informed choices before they become eligible to vote. By supporting learners during secondary school you ensure they are ready to engage in their first election.

This strand also provides an opportunity to help learners understand that voting is one of several ways citizens can participate in democracy, and that informed participation requires knowledge, critical thinking and evaluation.

A key challenge is making elections relevant to learners who are not yet eligible to vote. Learners may have limited prior knowledge or misconceptions about political parties and elections, while teachers may lack confidence teaching contemporary political issues while maintaining political impartiality. Limited curriculum time can also make it difficult to provide meaningful electoral experiences.

There is also a risk that electoral education becomes too focused on the mechanics of voting, without giving learners opportunities to explore why elections matter, how political choices are made, or how they can participate in an informed way.

Secondary schools can address these challenges by:

• Connecting elections to issues that matter to learners.
• Using real elections, candidates, parties and campaign materials as appropriate.
• Providing opportunities to experience the electoral process, such as school council/learner leadership elections or parallel elections.
• Using quality-assured resources and professional development to support teachers – particularly in maintaining political impartiality.

My approach

My aim is to help learners understand that voting is an important way citizens participate in representative democracy and that informed voting requires knowledge, critical thinking and evaluation.

I would recommend to:

• Start with why voting matters: explore why elections are important and how voting enables citizens to influence who represents them. Ask learners to consider what might happen if people did not vote, and why different people may choose to participate or not participate in elections.
• Build electoral knowledge: teach how elections work, including electoral systems, political parties, candidates and the voting process. Make clear the difference between the people who stand for election, the parties they may represent, and the institutions or positions being elected.
• Use issues before personalities: encourage learners to identify issues that matter to them before examining how different parties or candidates propose to address them.
• Use authentic experiences: this can include school council elections, UK Parliament Week and engagement with local and national elections. During the 2024 General Election, we held a whole-school parallel election, allowing learners to research parties, analyse manifestos, evaluate campaign messages and cast their vote. These experiences can help learners understand the purpose of elections, practise making informed choices and reflect on the outcome of a democratic process.
• Develop critical evaluation: help learners assess political information, compare viewpoints and recognise misinformation while maintaining political impartiality. Encourage learners to distinguish between a claim, the evidence supporting it and the judgement they make about it.
• Model impartiality. When discussing political parties or candidates, explain the purpose of the activity and use a range of appropriate sources. The aim is to help learners evaluate information and make their own informed judgements, rather than to promote any particular political positions.
• Make space for reflection. Ask learners what they have learned, what they are still unsure about and how they might apply their knowledge.

These experiences help learners see elections as relevant to their lives now, rather than something that only matters once they reach voting age. They also help them develop the confidence to participate in democratic processes and understand that informed voting is a skill that can be developed.

If you only do one thing…

Ensure that learners understand the importance of voting. You can use examples or case studies to illustrate what happens when people do or do not vote. Then have learners explore their own rationale for participation and build toward future engagement.

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.
• PSHE and Tutor Time - Current elections, political issues, voter preparation and political information.
• Assemblies - Local, mayoral and general elections, UK Parliament Week and the Electoral Commission’s Welcome to Your Vote Week.
• Student Leadership - School council; and learner leadership elections. These can provide opportunities for learners to experience representation, campaigning, voting and decision-making in a familiar setting.
• Enrichment - Parallel elections, manifesto activities, candidate events and debates.
• English - Persuasive language, political speeches and analysing campaign communications.
• Maths - Election statistics, polling data, turnout and results.

Schools can also create authentic opportunities beyond the classroom:

• Participation in UK Parliament Week and Welcome to Your Vote Week.
• Parallel elections linked to real local or national elections.
• Opportunities for learners to analyse real campaign materials and reflect on election results.

Key resources

However much curriculum time you have, make sure to check out the Electoral Commission’s Welcome To Your Vote Week. This is a yearly event, usually in March, where young people are encouraged to learn about, and get involved in, democracy in the UK.

In the lead up to, and during, this week, the Electoral Commission will promote and share a range of learning resources, activities and programmes to engage young people in democracy. It is a good focus point in the year to spotlight learning about voting and elections however much time you have for democratic education, with resources to meet your needs.

Further to Welcome To Your Vote Week resources, you could also use the following…

If you have 30 minutes or less…

• Activities for youth groups in England, The Electoral Commission and Northern Ireland Youth Forum – Short tutor time activities exploring elections and democratic participation.
• Welcome to Your Vote Week has activities that can be used during Tutor Time or in Citizenship lessons.

1 hour…

• Elections in your area, The Electoral Commission – Learners explore upcoming elections in their local area, identify what the election is for, who they can vote for, where they would vote and what they need to participate. This can be paired with the above resources.
• An Introduction to democracy, VotesForSchools – Four activities covering party conferences, parliament, preparing to vote and secret voting. Suitable for Tutor Time, assemblies or preparation for a parallel election.
• Voting Systems: First Past the Post - England and Additional Member System - England from The Electoral Commission - Learners can explore some of the different electoral systems used in England and consider how they affect representation and voter choice.

1-3 hours…

• #ElectionCountdown2026 Local Elections: Preparing first-time voters, The Politics Project – Short assemblies designed for Tutor Time, covering local government and voting. The resources can be adapted for future elections and parallel elections.

4-6 hours…

• The 60-second democracy challenge: Is it important to vote and why? The Electoral Commission and Skating Panda – A four-hour scheme exploring democracy, voting and civic participation through enquiry, debate, and discussion.

6 hours plus… 

• Power and decision making: Run a referendum, The Electoral Commission – Guidance and delivery notes slides for running a school-wide referendum led by Student Council. The slides can be delivered across multiple lessons as learners prepare for the referendum.

Considerations for learners with additional needs

Learners with additional needs may benefit from additional support to understand how elections work, make informed choices and navigate the practical process of voting. Teachers should consider the specific needs of learners within their groups and make appropriate adaptations to the language, pace, resources and activities used.

• Electoral vocabulary: explicitly teach terms such as candidate, political party, manifesto, constituency, ballot paper, polling station, voter registration and voter ID.
• Understanding the process: break voting into clear steps, from registration and checking voter ID requirements to completing a ballot paper and casting a vote.
• Accessible information: use Easy Read materials, visual guides, sample ballot papers and simplified explanations of party and candidate information.
• Informed choices: provide structured activities that help learners compare parties, candidates and policies without telling them what decision to make.
• Practical rehearsal: use mock or parallel elections, replica ballot papers and role-play to build familiarity and confidence.
• Reducing anxiety: allow learners to practise the voting process in advance and provide additional processing time where needed.
• Different ways to engage: allow learners to demonstrate their understanding through discussion, visual activities or practical tasks.
• Consider the emotional impact of political content. Some learners may find particular issues or campaign material distressing. Offer alternatives where appropriate and ensure that participation is not dependent on learners disclosing personal political views.

My Vote My Voice provides accessible Easy Read resources supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people to understand and exercise their right to vote. The National Development Team for Inclusion also provides activities supporting young people with SEND to explore voting and democracy.