Magna Carta
A N N I V ER SARY A SSEMBLY PL A N
In 2015, Parliament will be celebrating two historic
anniversaries that signify the beginning of a journey
towards rights and representation in the UK; 800 years
since the sealing of Magna Carta and 750 years
since the Simon de Montfort parliament. These
events paved the way for the emergence of the House
of Commons and democracy as we know it today.
LE A RNING OU TCOMES
To mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna
Carta, Parliament is inviting schools to host a themed
assembly during the week of 15 June 2015 to celebrate
and reflect on this important document and its legacy today.
• Know that there are three clauses of Magna Carta still
relevant today
Included in this pack is a fold-out copy of Magna Carta
provided by Salisbury Cathedral. On the back of this poster
is a blank template to inspire your students to consider
the rights and freedoms they would include if they were
creating a Magna Carta for today.
Students will:
• Know that 15 June marks 800 years since the sealing
of Magna Carta
• Gain an overview understanding of the story behind
Magna Carta
• Reflect on the significance of Magna Carta in the
development of rights and freedoms in the UK
• Consider what rights they believe are important in the
UK today
This resource is part of the 2015 Parliament in the
Making programme www.parliament.uk/2015
www.parliament.uk/2015
#Parliament2015
HOS T THE A SSEM BLY IN SI X S TEP S
Step 1
Set the scene: Tell the group you have with you something
incredibly powerful. It has limited the power of kings; it has
ensured that no one was above the law; it began a journey
to the rights and freedoms we know today...
Step 2
Present the Magna Carta: Unfold the copy of Magna
Carta included in this resource. Ask– ‘does anyone
recognise this document?’ Explain that this is a copy of
Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter), and it is 800 years
old this year/this week/today.
Step 3
Outline the background to Magna Carta: Explain that
800 years ago there was no Parliament, there was only the
king who had all the power and made all the big decisions.
A group of land owners, called the Barons, rebelled against
the king because they didn’t like the way he was ruling and
believed he was abusing his power. He was raising taxes to
pay for his wars in France and those who refused him faced
imprisonment, having their lands seized or even having their
family taken hostage as punishment.
Step 4
Introduce rights from Magna Carta: Explain that
when King John put his seal on Magna Carta on 15 June
at Runnymede he finally agreed to obey the laws of the
land. This was the first time that a king ever limited their
power in writing. It paved the way for a new approach
to how England, and subsequently the United Kingdom,
was governed. Magna Carta contained 63 clauses that
guaranteed rights for the people, three of which are still in
UK law today. The best known of these is that everyone has
a right to trial by their equals, similar to a trial by jury today.
If you would like to outline all three clauses, please see the
background information on the back page of this pack.
Step 5
Reflection: Show the reverse side of your Magna Carta
to the group. Ask– ‘if you were making a new Magna
Carta today, what rights and freedoms would you
include?‘ To inspire the students you may want to remind
the group of just how different our world is today – for
example would they want to include rights reflecting
the digital age? Remind them that there are also some
similarities– would they still want trial by jury? What basic
rights do they feel everyone should have – the right to
food, housing, education?
Step 6
Conclusion: Allow some time for the group to share their
ideas – there may be some agreement and some that others
don’t agree with. Ask– ‘who is responsible for debating and
agreeing our rights and laws today?’ Explain that we have
the UK Parliament, made up of the House of Commons
and the House of Lords who work together. We also have
devolved assemblies and local councils. You may even have
a school council representing your class or year group. These
bodies are all part of our democratic way of life.
Wrap up by reminding the group that Magna Carta stated
that no king was above the rule of law and set out some
key rights for everyone, starting a long journey to the rights
and freedoms we experience today.
Next steps (optional) If this assembly has inspired the
students, or got them talking about rights or issues they are
passionate about, what could they do to take action? They
may want to speak to or join their school council, contact
their local MP or start or join a campaign.
After the assembly you may want to put your new Magna
Carta in a shared space for people to add to. If you have a
school council you could pass it to them to begin a wider
discussion about rights and freedoms in your school.
O u r M a g n a Ca
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N OTES FO R YOUNGER G ROU P S
NOTES FO R O LDER G ROU P S
You could simplify some of the language or explain some
terms used. For example you could say, ‘he made the
Barons give him more money’ instead of ‘he raised taxes’,
or use ‘rules’ instead of ‘laws’.
You may want to go into more detail to explain the
history of Magna Carta, using information included on
the back page of this resource. For further background,
visit: www.parliament.uk/2015
You may also want to make greater use of questions and
answers, for example, ‘do you think that King John was
being fair?’, ‘do you think Kings and Queens make the
rules we follow today?’
During the reflection time, you could open up your
discussion to refer to how countries differ in terms of the
rights and freedoms their citizens have.
You could have your copy of Magna Carta rolled up and
tied up with a red ribbon for greater dramatic effect.
You can introduce the topic of Magna Carta by playing
the Stories from Parliament Magna Carta video drama,
which tells a simplified version of what led to the sealing
of the charter in around six minutes. This comes with an
accompanying video script which you may wish to use as
a play script. Visit www.parliament.uk/education for
this and other Magna Carta resources.
In your conclusion you may want to go into further detail
about Parliament today. Visit Parliament’s Education
Service website to access learning materials on both the
House of Commons and the House of Lords:
www.parliament.uk/education
You or your students can also share your thoughts, ideas
and reflections on Magna Carta on social media using
#Parliament2015
FU RTHER IN FO RM AT IO N: M AGN A C A RTA
How did Magna Carta come about?
In 1199 King Richard the Lionheart died and his younger
brother, King John, inherited England and most of
western France.
In 1204, the King of France took Normandy and Anjou from
John, leaving him with only England and Aquitaine,
or Gascony, in southwest France. John wanted to regain
these lost territories which his family had ruled for hundreds
of years.
John spent years trying to recapture his lost lands and this
cost enormous amounts of money, so he repeatedly raised
taxes and seized lands that did not belong to him.
This brought John into conflict with the Barons, the leading
men of the kingdom who owned vast amounts of land.
The Barons also disliked John because, in order to ensure
their obedience, he took their children and other relatives
hostage. On one occasion he starved to death the wife
and son of a Baron, William de Braose, in the dungeons of
Windsor Castle.
Ultimately, John relied on the Barons’ money and armies
and so, when the Barons demanded he adhere to the rights
laid out in Magna Carta, he eventually had to agree. He put
his seal on Magna Carta on 15 June at Runnymede, near
Windsor. Magna Carta was repeatedly rejected, confirmed
www.parliament.uk/2015
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and reissued over the following years and became well
known across England, not just among the Barons, but also
in the counties. The clauses were revised over time and new
versions were issued. In 2015 we do not have a written
constitution, but three of the clauses are still in place
through our laws. In addition the key overarching principle
of Magna Carta remains– everyone, including the monarch,
should obey the law of the land.
The three remaining clauses:
• Anyone accused of a crime has the right to be tried by his
equals– this will seem the most relevant clause to many
people as a fundamental right that confirms justice for
every citizen regardless of rank or status. This clause is still
invoked when there are discussions about changing or
adapting the justice system.
• Privileges given to the City of London and those of all
other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports are guaranteed
and cannot be changed by the monarch– this ensures that
cities and other communities have a say in how they are
run within the law of the land.
• The freedom of the Church of England to govern itself
is guaranteed for all time– this means that the monarch
cannot interfere with the running of the church.
However, since the Reformation the Monarch has been
the Head of the Church of England.