Where UK law comes from
Not all law is written by Parliament — some of it has been built up by judges' decisions stretching back centuries.
Part of your national curriculum
- Law and justice: Understand the legal system in the UK, different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Understand the legal system in the UK, different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems
Key learning points
- • Statute law
- • Common law and precedent
- • Other sources of law
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
Where UK law comes from
An English teaching video on this topic from Kids Academy. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Understand the legal system in the UK, different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 14
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Statute law
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 14
Learn
Statute law
Statute law, or Acts of Parliament, is written law passed by the House of Commons and House of Lords, then given royal assent. It can create entirely new laws or amend existing ones, such as changing the age for buying certain products.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 14
Learn
Common law and precedent
Common law develops through judges' decisions in court cases over time. When a judge rules on a new or unclear situation, that ruling can become a precedent that future courts follow in similar cases.
Quick check
Part 5 of 14
Quick check
What is another name for statute 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
How does common law develop?
Learning cycle
Part 8 of 14
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Other sources of law
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 9 of 14
Learn
Other sources of law
UK law is also shaped by retained EU law from before Brexit, and by international treaties the UK has signed. Together, these sources allow the legal system to adapt as society changes and new problems, like online crime, emerge.
Quick check
Part 10 of 14
Quick check
Why does the UK legal system need multiple sources of law?
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.
Together, these sources allow the legal ____ to adapt as society changes and new problems, like online crime, emerge.
Mastery quiz
Part 13 of 14
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Where UK law comes from
3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. What is another name for statute law?
2. How does common law develop?
3. Why does the UK legal system need multiple sources of law?
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 legal system in the UK, different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems