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Delivering the navigate strand | Primary school

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Key topics

  • Social and political issues.
  • Misinformation, disinformation and fact checking.
  • News sources, media and bias.
  • Social media and algorithms.

Why the Navigate strand matters in primary schools

Primary learners are forming their picture of the world while surrounded by more information than any previous generation. It reaches them through screens, adults, other learners and the classroom, without arriving labelled as reliable or unreliable, true or made-up, neutral or persuasive. They need opportunities to develop habits of curiosity, checking and reflection before making confident judgements.

This strand helps learners notice where information comes from, who made it and why; form their own perspective and explain their reasons; and understand that others may see things differently, often for reasons that make sense from where they stand. The aim is not to tell learners what to think, but to give them the tools to decide what they think and why.

In Key Stage 1, learners distinguish real from made-up and true from “I’m not sure”. They discover that people can think differently about the same thing and that this is normal and interesting rather than a problem. Learners begin to recognise that a photograph, video, statement or story was created by someone and may have a particular purpose.

In Key Stage 2, learners explore why information is produced: to inform, persuade, sell, entertain or sometimes mislead. They begin to recognise misinformation and understand that inaccurate information is not always intended to cause harm. They can test information against another source, explain their own view, consider why someone else might disagree, and distinguish between a claim, its supporting evidence and their judgement of that evidence.

Underpinning all of this is a classroom culture in which questioning feels safe. Learners may experience a challenged belief as a personal criticism or worry about being “wrong”.

Separate the idea from the person: information and opinions can be questioned, tested and challenged while people remain respectful. Keeping this low-stakes and playful makes the work enjoyable, age-appropriate and non-partisan. Model that changing your mind in response to good evidence is a strength.

My approach

I start with what learners have already noticed. A short “What have you seen or heard this week?” surfaces the issues that are live for them. Where a current issue is sensitive, controversial or potentially distressing, I select a suitable example in advance rather than relying on whatever has appeared in the news that day.

From there, I model curiosity out loud:

  • Wondering whether something is a fact or an opinion.
  • Asking who took a picture or created a headline and what they wanted us to think.
  • Treating “I’m not sure-how could we check?” as the most grown-up thing anyone can say.

This requires a safe culture of talk, so we agree simple ground rules:

  • We question the idea, not the person.
  • “I’m not sure” and “I’ve changed my mind” are welcome, even impressive.
  • Anyone can “pass”.
  • Listening carefully is part of taking part, and disagreements should be expressed with reasons rather than personal comments.

I keep the stakes low and the pace calm so learners can question, be questioned and sit with uncertainty without feeling exposed.

A routine I return to is the Believe-o-Meter: a wall scale from “Definitely true” to “Just an idea / made up”. The class uses it to weigh information and revise their views as evidence emerges. Label the scale:

  • Definitely true
  • Probably true
  • Not sure
  • Probably not true
  • Just an idea / made up

How to run it (10–20 minutes, and easy to repeat):

  • Show one real thing – a headline, a photo or a claim a character makes; age-appropriate and local where possible.
  • Everyone places themselves – learners put a peg or named card on the scale without talking, so every child commits, including quieter learners.
  • Ask “Why did you put it there?” – begin with sentence stems (“I put it here because…”, “I’m not sure because…”) and talk partners, then invite a few learners to share with the class. Ask: “Who made this and what did they want us to think, feel or do?” and “How could we check?”
  • Find something out – reveal a second source, a missing fact, or who made it and why.
  • Move your peg – “Good thinkers change their minds when they get new evidence.” No one is wrong; they are updating.

In Key Stage 1:

  • Use a three-point scale (Yes / Not sure / No) with pictures and scribe the reasons.

In Key Stage 2:

  • Use the fuller scale, require reasons, compare two sources on the same story, and identify the maker’s purpose - to inform, persuade, sell, entertain or mislead - before re-rating.
  • Where appropriate, introduce the difference between misinformation (which may be inaccurate without deliberate intent to deceive) and disinformation (inaccurate information deliberately created or shared to mislead).

A note for teachers

Not having the answer can be powerful in creating agency and developing mutual respect. Keep examples local and concrete, establish clear ground rules for respectful talk before tackling anything sensitive, use plenty of visuals, and be honest when something is genuinely contested. Modelling “let’s find out” is more powerful than modelling certainty. Avoid presenting every issue as though all claims have equal evidence: impartiality means being fair and open in the process, not pretending that reliable evidence and unsupported claims are equally credible.

If you need to do one thing…

Run a single “fact or opinion?” discussion using a real, age-appropriate news story. In fifteen minutes, learners practise the one habit that underpins the whole strand: pausing to ask whether they know something is true.

Where this fits into the curriculum

  • PSHE / RSHE / Citizenship – The media literacy and online-world strands, and discussion of issues in the wider world.
  • English – Spoken language and oracy; reading and discussing non-fiction; distinguishing fact from opinion; comprehension and inference.
  • Computing – Evaluating digital content and online safety (aligned with Education for a Connected World).
  • Assemblies – A weekly “news of the week” slot offers a low-stakes, whole-school way to question news together. Use a consistent structure: what happened, what do we know, what do we not know and how could we check?
  • Circle time and school council – Connecting information to the issues learners want to talk about and act on.
  • Geography and History – Comparing accounts, considering perspective, identifying evidence and recognising that accounts are shaped by who created them.
  • Art, Design and Computing – Exploring how images, editing, layout, sound and design can influence meaning and emotion.

Key resources

If you have 30 minutes or less…

-
1 hour….

1–3 hours…

4–6 hours…

  • Data detectives KS2, Oak National Academy - Deliver this series of lessons and support learners to sort, organise and compare data from different sources, judge which information is useful or reliable and combine clues to form a final theory, presented as a news report.

6 hours plus…

Considerations for learners with additional needs

  • Pre-teach the key words - such as fact, opinion, true, not sure, check - with pictures before you discuss.
  • Give learners sentence stems: “I think… because…” and “I’m not sure this is true because….”
  • Use the same visual cards for “fact” and “opinion” every time.
  • Let learners show what they think by sorting cards, drawing or pointing, not only by talking.
  • Talk in pairs or small groups before sharing with the whole class and give thinking time.
  • Use short, clearly presented examples rather than dense articles or long videos.
  • Be careful with images and videos that may cause distress, confusion or sensory overload. Explain what learners will see before showing it.
  • Allow learners to pass, observe or contribute through a trusted adult or alternative communication method.
  • Repeat the same routines regularly so that learners can focus on the thinking rather than learning a new process each time.
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Abi Wharton | Peter Symonds College
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