Rights, liberties and the rule of law
Living in the UK comes with liberties that are easy to take for granted, such as freedom of speech and a fair trial. These developed over hundreds of years and are still defended today.
Part of your national curriculum
- Law and justice: Understand the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Understand the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom
Key learning points
- • Key liberties
- • The rule of law
- • Liberties come with limits
This lesson at a glance
- 20 minutes
- 14 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 14
Watch first
Rights, liberties and the rule of law
An English teaching video on this topic from Mr Elliott. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Understand the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 14
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Key liberties
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 14
Learn
Key liberties
UK citizens have freedoms including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial and freedom from arbitrary arrest. These are protected partly by common law built up over centuries, and partly by legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998, which brought the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 14
Learn
The rule of law
The 'rule of law' means everyone, including the government, is subject to the law and must be treated fairly by it. Courts can rule that government action is unlawful, which is a key check on power in a democracy.
Quick check
Part 5 of 14
Quick check
Which Act brought the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law?
Reset break
Part 6 of 14
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 7 of 14
Quick check
What does the 'rule of law' mean?
Learning cycle
Part 8 of 14
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Liberties come with limits
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 9 of 14
Learn
Liberties come with limits
Freedoms are not unlimited: for example, free speech does not cover incitement to violence, and the right to protest can be restricted to protect public safety. Balancing individual liberty against the rights of others and the wider community is an ongoing debate in a democratic society.
Quick check
Part 10 of 14
Quick check
Which of these is a genuine limit on free speech in the UK?
Challenge round
Part 11 of 14
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 12 of 14
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
UK ____ have freedoms including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial and freedom from arbitrary arrest.
Mastery quiz
Part 13 of 14
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Rights, liberties and the rule of law
3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which Act brought the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law?
2. What does the 'rule of law' mean?
3. Which of these is a genuine limit on free speech in the UK?
Lesson round-up
Part 14 of 14
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
Should the town centre have a curfew for under-16s?
After a rise in reported vandalism, Harbrook council proposed that under-16s should not be in the town centre after 9 pm without an adult. Police recorded 62 incidents last year, most between 9 pm and midnight. Shopkeepers signed a petition supporting the plan.
A youth council objected. They pointed out that most young people in town at night were going home from sports clubs or work, that the plan punishes a whole group for the acts of a few, and that the library and the bus interchange are in the town centre. They asked instead for a late bus and a youth space.
The council voted to trial the curfew for six months and to publish the crime figures at the end.
Written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- Give the strongest point on each side of the argument, using a fact from the case.
- Whose rights and whose responsibilities are involved here? Explain both.
- Write your own view on the curfew with reasons and one example.
Reading and response
ReadingRead the case in the lesson again and write what you think should happen, and why it is fair. Use one fact from the case as evidence.
2 paragraphs (PEE)
Extended writing
WritingWrite your answer to the lesson's big question in full: the strongest point on each side, then your own view with reasons and an example.
250–350 words
Reading log
ReadingFind one news story this week that links to this lesson. Note the headline, where you read it, and how it connects.
1 story, 4–5 sentences
Two sides of the argument
WritingWrite the strongest point for, the strongest point against, and then your own view with a reason.
3 paragraphs
Poster or leaflet plan
DiagramPlan a leaflet that explains this right or responsibility to someone your age, then photograph it.
1 planned page
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 14 · Watch & discover
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Understand the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom