How is local democracy different to national government?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what local and national government is and the main differences between them.
Key learning points
- The national government is overseen by the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
- The main responsibilities of the national government are to oversee the UK economy and implement policies.
- Local government responsibilities include housing, waste collection and implementing local policies.
- There are differences in geographical area, roles and responsibilities and decision-makers.
Keywords
Government - the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK, the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM)
Economy - how a country’s or area’s goods and services are produced, consumed, and exchanged, and how money is supplied and managed
Policies - courses of action or goals that individuals, groups or governments plan to achieve, or are in the process of implementing
Common misconception
Local and national governments have the same powers.
The national government has broader powers and devolves some of these to local governments.
Teacher tip
Adapt scenarios and examples to your own local context to help pupils to see the difference between central and local government.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who is the head of the UK Government?
Q2.The UK Parliament is made up of parts.
Q3.Which part of UK Parliament's main aim is to scrutinise and revise proposed bills?
Q4.Power is separated through the executive, and judiciary branches in the UK.
Q5.Match the branch of power to what it involves.
Q6.Which of the following is an example of how the executive branch are held accountable?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The local focuses on services like schools and housing in specific regions of the UK.
Q2.Which of the following is a responsibility of central government?
Q3.Which of the following is a responsibility of local government?
Q4.The people that make decisions in central government are called government .
Q5.Which of the following are differences between national and local government?
Q6.Match the minster to their department.
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: How is local democracy different to national government?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: How is local democracy different to national government?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the Where does power reside in the UK? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.