The Electoral Commission and The Politics Project are inviting schools, colleges and youth groups to take part in piloting a new framework for high-quality democratic education. The pilot will run from September 2026 to January 2027 and is open to England and Northern Ireland.
As the UK Government moves towards lowering the voting age, this pilot will support you to equip young people with the understanding and skills they need to participate confidently and give you a chance to influence how the framework develops nationally.
Participating in the pilot will give you access to high-quality and impartial education resources about democracy and voting, along with training opportunities for teachers and youth practitioners.
The democratic education framework
It provides clear guidance, classroom resources and training to help educators deliver impartial and engaging learning about democracy, voting and elections.
It focuses on six key pillars:
- Understand – learn how the UK is governed, where power sits, and how decisions are made
- Take part – learn how elections work, how to register and vote, and why voting matters
- Engage – understand and interact with elected representatives and decision makers
- Experience – everyday democratic culture, shared decision-making, and youth voice
- Influence – take action to influence decisions, policies and social issues
- Navigate – access, understand, and critically evaluate media and political information
What’s involved?
- Join a webinar to find out more about the pilot and ask any questions - CPD opportunities will also be available
- Complete a short self-assessment of your current democratic education provision at the start of term, using our online tool
- Use the framework to identify ways to improve provision through high-quality resources, workshops and lesson plan
- Share brief feedback on your experience of using the framework and how it could be improved in January 2027
Why take part?
- Strengthen your Citizenship and Personal Development offer
- Access impartial, ready-to-use teaching resources
- Build staff confidence through CPD and training
- Equip young people with the understanding and skills they need to participate confidently in democracy
- Help shape national guidance for democratic education ahead of roll-out of the framework in Spring 2027
- Participating schools, colleges and youth groups will be entered into a prize draw to win ÂŁ500 for resources.
Sign up by Friday 10 July 2026 to get involved.