New
New
Lesson 4 of 5
  • Year 11

Competing and balancing rights

I can identify situations where rights may have to be balanced against each other and make a judgement on this.

Lesson 4 of 5
New
New
  • Year 11

Competing and balancing rights

I can identify situations where rights may have to be balanced against each other and make a judgement on this.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There may sometimes be tensions between rights associated with religion and belief and other rights.
  2. The freedom to manifest religion or belief can be limited or restricted by the state.
  3. During the Covid 19 pandemic, places of worship were closed by the UK government.
  4. Rights may be balanced against each other in certain situations.
  5. We can identify competing rights and make a judgement on them using case studies.

Keywords

  • Freedom - being able to believe what you want, or not believe at all, and being respected for that choice

  • Limited - not absolute and may be lawfully restricted by the state in certain circumstances under strict legal conditions

  • Balanced - the process of weighing one right against another to decide how far each should be protected in a particular situation

Common misconception

The right to freedom of religion or belief is an absolute right.

The right to have or change a religion or belief is an absolute right. However, the right to manifest this right is limited and in some circumstances may be restricted by the state.


To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Competing and balancing rights, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You might wish to give more context about the Covid 19 pandemic to ensure pupils understand the restrictions and lockdowns. You may find interviews or further information about the impact of Covid 19 on different religions or beliefs.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

5 Questions

Q1.
Freedom of religion protects the , not the religion.

Correct Answer: individual, Individual, person

Q2.
Which group does freedom of religion or belief protect?

only religious believers
Correct answer: religious and non-religious people
only Christians

Q3.
What can we learn by studying different settlements?

weather patterns
geography only
Correct answer: how rights operate in context

Q4.
When a persons human rights has been limited or infringed, it is know as a ...

limitation
prosecution
Correct answer: violation
animation

Q5.
The UK settlement protects people from ...

education
Correct answer: violence
work

Assessment exit quiz

5 Questions

Q1.
When rights come into tension, what may be required?

removing all rights
Correct answer: balancing different rights
ignoring rights completely

Q2.
Who can place limits on the manifestation of religion or belief?

Correct answer: the state or government
only religious leaders
schools only

Q3.
During Covid-19, places of were closed.

Correct Answer: worship, Worship

Q4.
Which right was prioritised during Covid-19 restrictions?

the right to travel
the right to education
Correct answer: the right to life

Q5.
Rights disputes may be taken to .

Correct Answer: court, Court