Lesson video

Hello.

My name's Ms. Ikomi, and I'm a teacher from London.

I'm going to be taking you through today's citizenship lesson.

We've got lots to get through, so let's get started.

Today's lesson is called "What is the rule of law, and how does it support a fair society?

" It is part of the wider unit, The Rule of Law, at Key Stage 3.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain what the rule of law is and why everyone must follow it, and how it keeps people fair and safe.

As today's topics could be seen as sensitive, we're going to discuss some ground rules for taking part in this lesson.

First of all, it's important to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, it's important that we challenge the statement, not the person.

We must respect privacy.

We can discuss examples in a general sense, but please do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including yourself.

We listen without passing judgment.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

And last, you can choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join in with a discussion.

We'll never put anyone on the spot.

Let's get started.

Some of the keywords we're going to hear in today's lesson are the "rule of law.

" This is the principle that all individuals within a state, including the Government and leaders, are subject to the same laws and must follow them.

"Fair.

" This means impartial treatment, a lack of favoritism to one side or the other.

"Equality.

" This is the right of everyone to receive the same treatment.

And "accountability.

" This means being responsible for one's actions and decisions, and being required to explain or justify them to others, including those in positions of power or authority.

Keep an eye out for these keywords as we move through today's lesson.

We're going to begin by thinking about what is the rule of law?

This idea of the rule of law is familiar to what we saw in that keyword.

It means that everybody has to follow the law, no matter who they are.

The same rules apply to everybody, and that makes sure that people are treated fairly and also promotes the principle of equality.

A couple more of our keywords coming up already.

Laws are made by Parliament and have to be followed by everybody.

Everybody includes citizens, people like you and I, police officers, people who are in a position of power, and also the Government, meaning all the people that are responsible for making the laws and making sure that our voices are represented on a wider scale.

It means that no matter what your status in society is, you still have to follow the rules and we will all be treated equally across this context.

Nobody is above the law, not even the Prime Minister, who we think of as being one of the most powerful people in the country.

The rule of law helps protect people's rights, especially when we're dealing with powerful organizations.

It ensures accountability.

It means that people in power have to explain their actions and act within the law so they can't take advantage of that power and potentially cause harm to other people.

For example, if a local council treated somebody unfairly, that person can complain or take legal action.

There have been examples of this happening in real life, for examples, where councils have been found to have unfairly withdrawn care.

This shows that even powerful groups must act fairly and within the law, and this is to keep all of us safe.

Nadia's giving us her opinion on the rule of law.

"I think the rule of law is great because it applies everywhere and to everyone in society.

" Hugo agrees.

"You are right, Nadia, it is such a positive aspect of democracy.

" Democracy meaning that we all have a say in how our society is run.

Kirsten says, "It's good to know that we can take action if we are treated unfairly.

" All of these are possible because of the rule of law.

We're going to have a quick check now to see how much we've understood so far.

I'd like you to pause your video and tick all the statements below that you think are true.

Pause your video now and have a go, and we will then check our answers in a couple of minutes.

Let's check our answers.

The first statement, "The law applies to everyone," is true.

The next, "The Prime Minister and Government follow different laws," is not true.

The third, "The law helps ensure fair treatment and equality," is true.

The fourth, "Powerful groups are above the law," is not true.

The last statement, "The law protects people's rights," is true.

Well done if you've got some of those right.

The rule of law means that laws have to be really clear so that we can all have an understanding of how they're being applied.

They have to be public.

That means that people can find and understand them, and they have to be applied in the same way to everyone.

This is important because it builds trust.

If we know what to expect and know what the rules are that we need to follow, it's easier for everybody to follow them and know what might happen if they weren't to.

For example, traffic laws apply to all road-users, so everyone knows they must stop at red lights, helping to prevent accidents.

It doesn't matter whether you're driving a car or riding a bike, you still have to stop at the red light, and this means that everybody is going to be kept safe.

If those rules were unclear, it might be that one person was able to go through the red light, and that means that we might have an accident.

This is a nice way of thinking about laws on a wider scale, because these things also apply to everybody.

Consistency under the rule of law helps to create a fair society, just like traffic lights help create a safe and fair space on the road.

The rule of law means that the Government must also follow the law, it can't just do whatever it wants.

This is important for accountability and equality.

For example, UK courts can review the government decisions through something called a judicial review.

This is a process that checks the actions that the Government has undertaken are lawful.

This protects citizens from unfair treatment.

We've had lots of examples of judicial reviews in the UK making sure that the Government is held accountable for their actions and they're not able to just do whatever they want.

Let's do another quick check.

There are three statements below, only two of them are correct.

I would like you to find the incorrect sentence, correct and expand on it.

The statements are: One, "The law applies to everyone in society," two, "The rule of law means laws are not applied consistently," or three, "The Government are accountable, just like us.

" Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answer.

The incorrect sentence was number two.

We can change it and expand it to make it correct.

I have said, "The rule of law means laws are applied consistently to create a fair society.

" Well done if you got that right.

We're going to do a longer task now to put what we've done so far into practice.

I'd like you to write a paragraph explaining what the rule of law is, and I'd like you to try and use the following words in your answer: "fair" or "fairly," "equality," "accountability," "consistent," "government," and "judicial review.

" Pause your video now and have a go at writing your paragraph.

I'll then give you an example to check against yours.

Let's check our answers.

I asked you to explain what the rule of law is.

You could have said, "The rule of law ensures that laws are applied in a consistent way so that everyone is treated fairly.

It promotes equality by making sure the same rules apply to all people, including those in power, and creates accountability so actions must be explained and justified.

Laws are applied consistently, meaning people can trust that rules will not change depending on who they are.

The Government must follow the law, and courts can use judicial review to check that its decisions are lawful.

" Well done if you included some of that in your answer.

Next, we're going to expand on why must everyone follow the law.

The rule of law applies to everyone at all times.

We've briefly touched upon that previously in the lesson.

For example, in a football match, if only some players followed the rules, the game would be unfair.

We also thought about, on the road, if some people were able to go through red lights.

Another example is that, in an orchestra, if only some performers had the music and others had to guess the notes, it would be unfair.

These examples shows us what can happen if everybody is following different rules.

Society wouldn't be fair if we didn't have everybody held accountable to the same rules or, in this case, laws.

Everyone has to follow the law to ensure that society remains fair and safe.

Without laws, people might act however they wanted, and that can lead to inequality.

The rule of law ensures equality so nobody gets special treatment, no matter who they are.

An example of this could be, in 2023 and 2024, some people were protesting climate change.

Groups such as Just Stop Oil had members arrested, and this was under a law called the Public Order Act 2023.

They were arrested for blocking roads.

This shows that laws are enforced regardless of the cause.

Following laws also protects people and creates accountability.

If people break the law, they can face consequences.

That discourages harmful behavior in the future and also in other people.

There is another example of this.

In 2019, companies such as British Airways, a big famous company, were fined for data breaches under data protection laws.

This shows that businesses have to follow the law, just like individuals.

Just because they're a big famous company that has lots of influence doesn't mean that they can act in a different way to citizens if the law is still applicable to them.

This is helping to create a fair system where we're all held accountable, no matter what our status is.

Let's do a quick check.

Why should all laws be followed by everyone?

Is it A, to create fairness, B, to make life easier for some people, C, to save time for the Government, or D, to not be accountable?

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is A, to create fairness.

The rule of law helps build trust because people know that they will be treated fairly.

This supports equality and accountability.

We know from our keyword definition that equality means treating people equally and fairly.

There are lots of laws in place in the UK that mean that people have to be treated fairly and equally to one another under the law.

One of the most important of these laws is the Equality Act 2010, which was brought into place to make sure that people are treated equally across public spaces.

It makes it illegal to discriminate against people, either at work, at school, or in public spaces, based on nine protected characteristics.

These protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

If somebody is treated differently because of one of these characteristic, then they have a legal route to fight their case in court.

Let's do another check.

I'd like you to arrange the arguments below into for and against.

Some of the arguments are arguing for the idea that everybody should follow the same rules and some of them are arguing against the idea.

The statements are: "Everyone is different, therefore laws should be applied accordingly.

" "To make an equal society, everyone should follow the same rules to prevent discrimination.

" "Following the law builds trust and supports a safe society.

" "You do not need laws to maintain order in society.

" Pause your video now and have a go at this task.

Let's check our answers.

On the argument for, that everybody should follow the same rules, the first statement is, "To make an equal society, everyone should follow the same rules to prevent discrimination.

" "Following the law builds trust and supports a safe society.

" On the other side, we might argue, "Everyone is different, therefore laws should be applied accordingly" and, "You do not need laws to maintain order in society.

" Well done if you got those correct.

Let's do another longer task to practice what we've learned so far.

A group of teenagers decide to cross a railway track instead of using the bridge because it's quicker.

One of them says, "The rules don't really matter if no one's watching.

" I'd like you to use this example and explain why laws have to always be followed.

Pause your video now and have a go at this.

Let's check our answers.

I asked you to use my example and explain why laws must always be followed.

You could have used some of the following in your answer.

"Crossing a railway track is putting yourself and others in a dangerous situation because it puts your safety at risk and could lead to serious injury or death.

The rule of law ensures fairness and safety for everyone, not just when people are being watched.

Accountability means people are responsible for their own actions, and ignoring laws can have serious consequences.

Laws must be followed at all times to protect individuals and others.

" Well done if you included some of that in your answer.

Our last section is about what does fair treatment under the law mean?

Fair treatment under the law means that everybody has equal access to justice and is judged based on evidence, not personal opinions or background.

The rule of law ensures equality so people are not judged unfairly.

For example, the Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment of Offenders Act, which came about in 2012, provides legal support to people who cannot afford a lawyer.

This means that the legal system is fair for everyone so you are not treated differently or at the detriment of your own case because you're not able to afford legal representation.

It also means that organizations and authorities have to follow clear rules when they're making decisions.

The rule of law, as we know, ensures accountability.

Decisions have to be able to be explained and justified in any context.

An example of this is that employers have to follow employment laws.

This is applicable when they're hiring people and also when they're working for them.

There are rules about how much you can pay people and the working hours that people are able to do.

This ensures fairness and protects young workers from discrimination and exploitation.

It also means that people aren't taken advantage of.

Let's do a quick check.

What does fair treatment under the law allow you to do?

Is it A, ignore decisions, B, challenge unfair decisions, C, make your own laws, or D, avoid consequences?

Pause your video and try and answer this now.

The correct answer is B, challenge unfair decisions.

Fair treatment also means people can challenge decisions if they believe that they're wrong or unfair.

This supports the idea of accountability and ensures that the rule of law is followed.

Helena, who works in human resources, which is a part of an organization that looks after people in the workplace, is giving us an example of this.

For example, if a young person is treated unfairly by a company when applying for a job, they can raise a complaint or take legal action under employment law.

This means that people are able to challenge decisions if they think that they haven't been applied in a way that is correct.

It means that we all have legal recourse to make sure we're treated equally.

This is promoting the principle of equality.

It also ensures that rules are applied in everyday situations to protect individuals.

Another example of this is, in the UK, social media companies have to follow UK laws on harmful content and data protection.

This is helping to keep young people safe online.

This also helps make things fairer and shows how the law protects young people in modern life.

Let's do another check.

I'd like you to read the sentences below and fill in the missing words using the word bank.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

We'll then read through the full sentences altogether.

Let's check our answers.

"Fair treatment means people can challenge decisions and expect fairness.

" "Organizations and authorities must follow clear rules when making decisions.

" Well done if you got those right.

Let's do another longer task to put this into practice.

A 16-year-old signs up for a gym membership, but later realizes the terms and conditions were unclear.

When they try to cancel, the company refuses, even though the key information wasn't properly explained to them beforehand.

I'd like you to explain whether this is fair and how the rule of law protects this young person.

I'd like you to use the words "equality" and "accountability" in your answer.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check what we could have included in our answer.

I asked you to explain whether this example was fair and how the rule of law might protect this young person.

"This is not fair because the company did not clearly explain the terms.

The rule of law ensures equality, meaning the young person has the same rights as any adult customer.

Accountability means that the company must follow consumer laws and could be challenged.

This helps to ensure fair treatment.

" Today we have been learning what is the rule of law and how does it support a fair society.

We've learned that the rule of law ensures a fair society where everyone is treated with equality.

The rule of law means laws apply consistently to all people, including the Government, creating accountability.

This protects people's rights, even when dealing with powerful organizations, and ensures fair treatment.

Following the law helps build trust because people know they'll be treated with equality and fairness.

The rule of law creates accountability.

It protects rights and supports a fair and equal society.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.