According to the polls, the Labour party will win a landslide majority at the next General Election. Its election manifesto is likely to include (as part of its five bold missions) a commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity in schools. As part of this commitment, the Labour Party intends to implement a broader and richer curriculum with a focus on speaking and listening.
I am a passionate advocate for legal education in schools. I am also well aware of the significant demands the National Curriculum imposes on schools when it comes to contemplating any formal education about the law. Whilst the justice system is part of the curriculum, in my experience, this type of learning takes place outside of the classroom, in assemblies or as part of enrichment opportunities and often as part of an introduction to politics and democracy
I am not sure that’s good enough. If I had the ear of the current Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, I would be making a special plea that an engaging and immersive, legal programme should be a key part of a ‘broader and richer curriculum’.
In my experience as a teacher, I know that children are highly inquisitive about legal topics and ask plenty of questions as to what is right or wrong, fair or unfair.
It’s vital that every young learner should have a positive encounter with the law at an early stage so they glean a basic understanding of their rights and responsibilities and learn the rules of the game.
It is unacceptable that too many children leave formal education without any grasp of their legal rights and responsibilities or the processes by which they are enforced. Legal rights mean nothing if young learners do not know what they are or when they are being taken away. Law touches every aspect of every aspect of society but too often, a young learner’s understanding of the law stems from informal channels such as family or their social environment.
A lack of basic knowledge on key concepts such as the rule of law, rights and obligations, how to access assistance when there is a legal issue will create substantial barriers to justice especially for those from a disadvantaged background and constitute a threat to the rule of law.
Through public legal education, we can also help the next generation by widening access to professions like law to those from all socio-economic backgrounds. Without role models or family contacts in the professional sector, young learners may conclude that careers in professions like the law are out of their reach. I contend that a formal public legal education programme in schools will greatly assist and indeed is vital when it comes to building a diverse workforce for the future.
We all want our children to be active and engaged citizens of the world, to understand their rights and responsibilities, to appreciate and respect key concepts such as the rule of law, to be able to debate and argue and to know how to access justice where required. We want our children to be confident and articulate, to be legally literate and to be able to fight against injustice when needed. We want our children to have a basic understanding of the legal system and how the justice system works.
An empowered and informed citizenry is absolutely key to making sure we get a justice system we deserve and cherish.
So, Mrs Phillipson, can I suggest that a programme of public legal education in schools would fit very well within a ‘richer and broader curriculum’.
I would be very interested to hear from you on how you promote legal education in schools so we can share learning and encourage others to think about what they are doing.