Key Stage 3 citizenship · Democracy and government

KS3 political parties explained: a guide for parents

Key Stage 3 citizenship teaches pupils what political parties are for, how they organise MPs, and how they compete for votes. The aim is not to push any party. It is to help teenagers understand how a party system works and to judge what parties say with care, which is a skill they will use as soon as they are old enough to vote.

The role of political parties, explained

A political party is a group of people who share broadly similar views about how the country should be run and who work together to win elections. Parties choose candidates to stand in constituencies, raise money, campaign, and publish a manifesto that sets out the policies they would put in place if elected. Voters use the manifesto to compare parties, and it gives the public something to hold a government to afterwards. People can also stand as independent candidates, with no party backing, though in practice most MPs belong to a party.

Once an election is over, parties have different jobs. The party that can command the support of a majority in the House of Commons forms the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister. Usually that is the party that has won more than half of the seats. The largest party that is not in government becomes the Official Opposition, led by the Leader of the Opposition, whose job is to question, challenge and offer an alternative. Smaller parties also have a voice. When no party has a majority, parties may agree to work together in a coalition, or one may govern alone as a minority government and need other parties’ votes to pass laws.

Pupils learn how parties shape the way Parliament works. Each party appoints some of its own MPs as whips, who keep their colleagues informed and encourage them to vote with the party, especially on important matters. Parties choose their own leaders by their own rules, and they often take different approaches to questions such as taxes, public spending, the environment or the role of the state. In school these differences are explained in a balanced way: schools in England must not promote partisan political views, and when political issues come up they must take reasonable steps to give pupils a balanced presentation of opposing views.

Citizenship teachers use this topic to build research and evaluation skills. Pupils are encouraged to separate fact from opinion, to ask who benefits from a claim, to check whether statistics are used fairly and to spot persuasive tricks in leaflets, posters and online posts. They also learn that there are other ways to take part in politics beyond parties, such as pressure groups and campaigns, and that people join parties for many reasons, from the wish to change a policy to the wish to help in their local area.

Words your child will hear

Political party: An organised group of people with shared aims who put up candidates for election.
Manifesto: A published list of the policies a party promises to follow if it wins.
Policy: A plan or set of ideas about what should be done, such as how to fund schools.
Whip: An MP or peer given the job by their party of keeping colleagues informed and encouraging them to vote with the party.
Coalition: A government formed by two or more parties working together.
Opposition: The parties that are not in government. The largest is called the Official Opposition.
Independent: A candidate or MP who does not belong to any political party.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should be taught about the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties
Pupils should use and apply their knowledge and understanding while developing skills to research and interrogate evidence, debate and evaluate viewpoints, present reasoned arguments and take informed action.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: judging a campaign claim

A leaflet from an imaginary party says: “Our plan will cut waiting times for everyone and cost nothing. Other parties simply cannot be trusted with your future.” How could you check and judge this?

Split the leaflet into separate claims. There are three: waiting times will be cut for everyone, the plan will cost nothing, and other parties cannot be trusted.
Sort fact from opinion. “Waiting times will fall” can be tested against data later, so it is a claim that can be checked. “Cannot be trusted” is an opinion about other parties.
Look for what is missing. “Cost nothing” is surprising, because most big plans need money from taxes or from cutting something else. Ask how it would be paid for, and who is “everyone”.
Check against other sources. Read what other parties say, and look for independent organisations that publish figures. Compare the leaflet’s promises with the party’s manifesto.
Decide what you can conclude. You may agree with the aim but still be unconvinced by the way it is argued.

Model answer: “The leaflet makes two claims that can be checked, that waiting times will fall for everyone and that the plan will cost nothing, and one that is just opinion. The claim that it will cost nothing needs the most evidence, because policies are usually paid for by taxes or other cuts. I would want to see figures from a neutral source before deciding. The attack on other parties is persuasive language, not evidence.” This approach works the same way whichever party the leaflet comes from.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking all MPs must belong to a party

Almost all MPs do, so pupils assume it is a requirement.

What helps: Explain that independent candidates can stand and win. Ask why it might be hard to succeed without a party’s money, organisation and name.

Believing the government and the party are the same thing

News stories say “the party announced” and “the government announced” as if they were interchangeable.

What helps: The governing party is the party in government, but the government is made up of ministers who have to run the country for everyone. The party also has members and supporters who are not in government.

Assuming the opposition does nothing

Opposition MPs do not make most decisions, so it can look as though they have no role.

What helps: Describe their job: they question ministers, scrutinise bills, propose changes and show voters what they would do differently. A government that faces a strong opposition tends to be checked more carefully.

Assuming politicians are either always honest or never honest

Persuasive speeches and strong headlines make extreme views easy to adopt.

What helps: Encourage your child to ask for the evidence behind a claim. Both blind trust and blanket cynicism are easy, and checking is harder and better.

How to help at home

Compare two leaflets or messages. If political leaflets arrive, read two together and list what each promises. Then mark each claim as a fact that can be checked or an opinion, and look for anything that is missing.
Write a family manifesto. Ask each person to write three promises for how the household should run, and to say how each would be paid for or delivered. It shows why promises need to be specific and realistic.
Keep your own views in the background first. Ask your child what they think and why before you say what you think. Teenagers often copy the views at home, but explaining and defending a view in their own words is the skill that counts.
Look at the other ways to take part. Discuss a local campaign or charity and how it tries to influence decisions without being a party. Notice what a campaign group can do that a party cannot, and the other way round.

Leads on to

Key Stage 4: The UK constitution
Key Stage 4: Holding power to account
Key Stage 4: Executive, legislature, judiciary
Key Stage 4: The role of a free press
Key Stage 4: Electoral systems
Key Stage 4: Influencing decisions
Key Stage 4: Democracy around the world
Key Stage 4: Non-democratic systems