Parliament Week Classroom Lesson Ideas

What is Parliament Week?

Parliament Week is an annual event which aims to develop young people's understanding of what Parliament is, what it does and how they can get involved.

Schools can sign up for Parliament Week for a free digital kit with an activity booklet, ballot box and more. There are also activities, crafts, information booklets and videos on the UK Parliament Week website.

Running a Parliament Week in Primary Schools

There are lots of exciting things you can do in Primary Schools to teach about Parliament and its role in the UK:

• Book a class visit to Parliament
• Read the eBook about Parliament
• Hold a vote in school using the free ballot box from UK Parliament Week

Using Purple Mash to support Parliament Week

There are lots of great resources that you can use in Purple Mash to run a successful Parliament Week in your primary school.

Debating Activities

Explore the Let's Debate folder and choose a topic to debate, or create your own based on your current teaching topic, or a school or community issue. You'll also find debate prompts to help develop debating skills.

There are also resources to help develop Oracy skills in class, including videos, talking prompts and activities. For Parliament Week, you might want to try the Would You Rather? activity and build on the 'why' of their choices.

Learning about Parliament

During Parliament Week, you might like to find out more about some famous politicians, such as Diane Abbott, the first female Black MP.

Children could also research the Parliament buildings and write a postcard, imagining they have visited.

There is even a 3D model of Parliament that can be decorated and printed out in 2Design and Make.

Guy Fawkes

As children will have Bonfire Night in their minds at this time of year, they can also learn more about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot with a range of interactive resources in Purple Mash, including a storyboard, fact file and quiz.