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Hello, everybody.

My name's Mrs. Hastings, and welcome to today's lesson.

I'm really looking forward to learning with you and for you to make good progress in our lesson and learning journey today.

So today's lesson is from the unit Why was the struggle for the vote important today? And today's lesson is called Why does voting matter? So in today's lesson, we are going to be able to explain why voting is an important part of the democratic process and how political decisions are made.

Today's keywords are general election: when the citizens of a country, the electorate, vote to elect a new government.

A general election in the UK happens at least every five years.

Member of Parliament: a person elected by voters to represent them in Parliament.

MPs participate in making laws, debating policies, and addressing issues that affect the public.

And voting: the activity of choosing someone or something in an election.

So in today's learning, there are two parts to our learning cycle.

The first is, how are political decisions made in the UK? And the second part of the learning cycle is, why is voting an important part of politics? So let's crack on with our first learning cycle: how are political decisions made in the UK? We're going to read through the information about Jacob.

How many of his activities do you think are affected by politics? "I have an important exam at school this morning, but overnight my bike has been stolen, which is how I get to school.

I live three miles from school, and the local buses don't go near enough to it.

Also, the bus fare has got more expensive.

On top of that, I haven't been feeling that well, so I have a doctor's appointment after school.

Now I'm not sure I'll make that on time without my bike.

A lift would be no quicker because of the traffic." Have a discussion with the person sat next to you about what activities are affected by politics for Jacob.

So lots of the activities Jacob describes are affected by politics.

For example, education: what is on the national curriculum, what exams he has to take, and what schools are available in his local area.

Transport: ticket pricing and routes, congestion, and how busy the roads are.

Police: how many police officers there are, which might impact their ability to investigate his stolen bike.

And healthcare: seeing a doctor, and local hospitals.

So politics affects so many of our everyday activities, nearly all of them.

Maybe have a think about what activities you've done so far today that you think might be affected by politics.

So, at least every five years there is a general election in the UK.

Eligible citizens, that means people who are able to vote, vote for their representative in the House of Commons, which is one part of Parliament.

See if you can remember what the other parts of Parliament are.

So we have the House of Commons that's made up of 650 Members of Parliament elected at a general election.

But there are two more parts.

Firstly, the House of Lords, which is made up of around 800 members, mainly selected because of their knowledge and experience.

And the Monarchy, the head of state, the king or queen.

Citizens vote in a general election to decide which candidate they want to represent their constituency in the House of Commons.

So constituency is a geographical area with roughly the same number of people in it, living in it per constituency.

The candidates might belong to a political party or they could be independent candidates.

The candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House of Commons and becomes an MP.

This is through a voting system called first-past-the-post.

So the candidate only needs to win one more vote than the second-placed candidate to win a seat in Parliament.

There are 650 seats available.

There are 650 constituencies in the UK.

So one MP per constituency.

To win a majority in the House of Commons, a political party must win at least 326 seats, so half plus one of the number of seats available.

The leader of the party with a majority becomes the prime minister.

The prime minister selects other MPs to form their cabinet.

So that's a group of important ministers who make up the government.

The cabinet is known as the government and they make decisions that affect us all.

The majority of the cabinet is made up of secretaries of state.

The secretary of state heads up the major government departments, for example, the secretary of state for health, education, transport.

And the cabinet meets weekly to make these important decisions that affect us all.

So let's check our understanding so far of what we've been learning about how are political decisions made in the UK.

How often is a general election held in the UK? Is it A, at least every year; B, at least every three years; or C, at least every five years? How often is a general election held in the UK, A, B, or C? Okay, it is C, at least every five years.

Well done if you got that correct.

Next question: who are people voting for in a general election? Is it A, members of the House of Lords; B, MPs in the House of Commons; or C, the prime minister? Who are people voting for in a general election, A, B, or C? It is B, MPs in the House of Commons.

Well done for getting that right.

So first task I'd like you to complete now is to create a diagram demonstrating how political decisions are made in the UK.

The first and last step have been done for you.

So you need to fill in the other four steps of how political decisions are made.

So we start with a general election is held.

You may want to add a little bit more detail to that.

And then we end with the cabinet makes decisions that affect us all.

So what are the four missing steps in between that? What I'd like you to do is pause the video and complete that task of drawing out a flow diagram showing how political decisions are made in the UK.

Well done for completing that task.

So let's have a look at what your diagram may have looked at.

So I asked you to create a diagram demonstrating how political decisions are made in the UK.

You might have included the following information.

So we started with a general election is held.

Eligible citizens vote for the candidate they want to represent them in the House of Commons.

The candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House of Commons and becomes an MP.

The leader of the political party with a majority of seats, at least 326, becomes prime minister.

The prime minister chooses MPs to form a cabinet, also known as the government.

And the cabinet makes decisions that affect us all.

So on to the second part of our learning cycle.

Why is voting an important part of politics? To vote in the UK in the general election, you must be 18 years old or over, be a British, qualifying Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland citizen, be registered to vote, have a photo ID, for example a passport or driving licence, and be legally eligible to vote, e.

g.

most prisoners cannot vote, and you cannot vote if you're a member of the House of Lords.

So you have to meet all of that criteria in order to be able to vote in a general election.

And it's really important to be registered to vote and be on the electoral register.

Otherwise, if you turn up to vote, you won't be allowed to do so.

Have a think and a discussion with the person sat next to you.

Why is voting in a general election an important part of the political process? Have a think about what we learned in the first learning cycle and see if you can think about and link to then why do you think it is a really important part of the political process to vote? Have that discussion with the person sat next to you.

So your vote is your political voice.

It is an MP's job to represent the views of their constituents in Parliament.

And they do this by voting on new laws and policies.

So anytime a new law is put to the House of Commons, the MPs debate, they discuss, and then they vote on whether they want that to become a law and signed into law.

And any new policies that the government might be putting forward as well are debated.

And your MP represents you.

And if you have particularly strong views about something, then you can contact your MP and let them know your views and hopefully they will listen to you.

And particularly if there's a majority of you who also have the same views, then they can put forward their point of view in the of House of Commons.

As I've said, they debate issues and there are questions held.

So every Wednesday, Prime Minister's Questions is held.

So that's an opportunity for MPs both of his or her own party to put forward questions to them and also for the opposition, the people who are on the other side of the House, to also ask questions and debate.

And it is the job of an MP to raise the concerns of their constituents, of raising constituents' concerns.

So let's have a think and check our understanding of that.

Voting in a general election is an important part of the political process.

True or false? Voting in a general election is an important part of the political process.

True or false? It is true.

Well done if you got that right.

So why? Because voting in a general election is an important part of the political process as you are voting for an MP, a Member of Parliament.

Your vote is your political voice.

An MP's job is to represent the views of their constituencies.

I.

e.

they can represent your views and have your voice heard.

In the UK 2024 general election, voter turnout was 59.

7%.

This was the lowest turnout at a general election since 2001.

Have a think and have a discussion with the person sat next to you, what impact might a low turnout, a low voter turnout have? So what impact might that have? Low voter turnout can lead to underrepresented groups.

The results may not reflect the views of the entire population.

Those who voted might not represent all groups within society.

Certain groups may be less likely to vote, for example, young people or lower income individuals.

And voter apathy.

A low turnout could signal that people are actually really disengaged with politics.

Apathy means that they just don't really want to engage and take part, possibly due to feeling that their vote doesn't matter or that the political system doesn't work for them.

Maybe they don't feel that politicians listen to them.

They don't feel that the voting system is fair, the first-past-the-post voting system, and therefore they don't feel that their voice is going to really be heard or really matters.

So voting is important because it gives individuals, citizens, us, a voice in shaping the policies, laws, and leadership that affects their lives.

It ensures that the government represents the people's interests, promotes democratic values, and holds elected officials accountable.

We are able to decide whether we are happy with what's happening in government, or if we're unhappy, we can vote them out at the next election.

So it makes the government accountable to the citizens.

By voting, citizens contribute to the way that the country's run.

Because we are saying these are the policies that we like and what we want to happen, and help protect rights and freedoms for future generations.

It is a very important part of democracy.

Without voting and without elections, we wouldn't be a democratic country.

If turnout becomes too low, it can weaken democracy as fewer people are having a say in decisions that are being made.

So true or false? Voting is important because it gives individuals a voice in shaping the policies, laws, and leadership that affect their lives.

Is that true or false? It is true.

Why? Because voting ensures that the government represents the people's interests, promotes democratic values, and holds elected officials accountable.

By voting, citizens contribute to the direction of their country and help protect rights and freedoms for future generations.

So for the task for this second learning cycle, why is voting an important part of politics, first thing I'd like you to do is to fill in the gaps to complete the paragraph.

So to vote in a general election in the UK, you must be over the age of, be a British, qualifying Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland, legally, for example, most cannot vote and neither can members of the House of.

You must also be to vote and bring ID with you when you vote.

Voting in a general election is an important part of the process.

You are voting for a member of.

Your vote is your voice.

So fill in the gaps, pause the video, and complete that task.

Well done for completing that task.

So let's have a look at what your completed paragraph should look like.

To vote in a general election in the UK, you must be over the age of 18, be a British, qualifying Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland citizen.

Legally eligible.

For example, most prisoners cannot vote, and neither can members of the House of Lords.

You must also be registered to vote and bring photo ID with you when you vote.

Voting in a general election is an important part of the democratic process.

You are voting for a Member of Parliament.

Your vote is your political voice.

The second task I'd like you to complete for this second learning cycle is to have a look at what Izzy and Alex are saying.

So Izzy and Alex are having a conversation about the importance of voting.

I'd like you to add to Izzy and Alex's arguments using examples and explanation in your answers.

So Izzy is saying, "Voting is a really important part of the political process.

I will make sure I exercise this right when I'm old enough." Alex, however, says, "I disagree.

My vote will not count, so why should I bother voting in the future?" So pause the video to add to Izzy and Alex's arguments using examples and explanation in your answers.

Do that now.

Okay, so well done for completing that task.

I asked you to add to Izzy and Alex's arguments.

So you might have said in support of Alex, recent voter turnout for the 2024 general election was really low.

Therefore, politicians are less likely to focus on issues that affect underrepresented groups.

So I don't see much point in voting if MPs aren't going to listen to people like me.

Whereas Izzy, in support of her, you might have said voting is really important because it gives individuals a voice in shaping the policies, laws, and leadership that affect their lives.

It lets you influence how the UK is run by choosing MPs who make decisions on key issues.

Your MP represents you and all the constituents in your area.

If turnout becomes too low, we risk weakening democracy.

It is important therefore that we get a say in how our country is run and help protect rights and freedoms for the next generation.

So in summary of our learning today, why does voting matter? Political decisions impact all the activities we take part in, from the education we get, to whether we can get a doctor's appointment, to how many police are on the streets.

Political decisions impact us all every day in our lives.

At least every five years, there is a general election in the UK.

Eligible citizens vote for the candidate they want to represent them in the House of Commons, which is one part of Parliament.

The candidate with the most votes becomes a Member of Parliament.

It is an MP's job to represent the views of their constituents in Parliament.

They do this by voting on new laws and policies, debating issues, and raising constituents' concerns.

Your vote is your political voice.

If voter turnout becomes too low, it can weaken democracy.

Thank you so much for learning with me today.

I hope that you have learned a lot and really thought about why does voting matter, and hopefully in the future you will use your political voice and be voting in the elections that we have in the UK.