Rules, laws and the justice system
Rules keep a classroom running; laws keep a country running — and when they are broken, courts decide what happens next.
Part of your national curriculum
- Law and justice: Understand the nature of rules and laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Understand the nature of rules and laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals
Key learning points
- • Rules versus laws
- • The role of the police
- • Courts and tribunals
This lesson at a glance
- 28 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
Rules, laws and the justice system
An English teaching video on this topic from Kids Academy. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Understand the nature of rules and laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 14
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Rules versus laws
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 14
Learn
Rules versus laws
Rules apply within a specific setting, such as a school or club, and are enforced by that organisation. Laws apply across the whole country, are made by Parliament or through common law, and are enforced by the state.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 14
Learn
The role of the police
The police investigate crimes, gather evidence, and can arrest suspects, but they do not decide guilt. Their role is to keep order and bring cases to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decides whether to charge someone.
Quick check
Part 5 of 14
Quick check
What is a key difference between a rule and a 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 is the police's main role in the justice system?
Learning cycle
Part 8 of 14
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Courts and tribunals
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 9 of 14
Learn
Courts and tribunals
Magistrates' courts deal with less serious criminal cases, while the Crown Court handles serious offences with a jury. Tribunals resolve specific disputes, such as employment or immigration cases, more informally and often more quickly than courts.
Quick check
Part 10 of 14
Quick check
Which court usually deals with serious criminal offences and a jury?
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.
The ____ investigate crimes, gather evidence, and can arrest suspects, but they do not decide guilt.
Mastery quiz
Part 13 of 14
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Rules, laws and the justice system
3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. What is a key difference between a rule and a law?
2. What is the police's main role in the justice system?
3. Which court usually deals with serious criminal offences and a jury?
Lesson round-up
Part 14 of 14
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
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 nature of rules and laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals