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In this unit, pupils use topical examples to investigate how laws are made, both by parliament (statute law) and by the courts (case law). They learn about the roles of members of parliament and the courts in making laws. They develop their understanding of how parliament and government work, and of who has power and authority in our democratic society. Pupils consider why laws are needed and discuss how laws relate to young people differently at different ages. Using recent examples, they investigate how individuals and groups can effect changes to the law through different forms of campaigning. They relate what they have learnt to making and reviewing rules and policies in their school and the wider community and reflect on the effectiveness of democracy in these settings.
The unit provides opportunities for pupils to build on learning from other subjects at key stage 3 and to make links with other subjects in key stage 4: in English, libel trials involving newspapers and magazines; in science, moral debates about issues such as genetic engineering, abortion and cloning; in history, making and changing laws in the past and how campaigning has changed over time, eg trade unions, suffragettes; and in geography, environmental campaigning and protests about planning applications.
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