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The #1 Personal Development Resource for Schools

Empowering young voices, building oracy, confidence, and critical thinking.

Covering PSHE, British Values, Prevent & the SMSC Curriculum.

Try the resources

all-in-one school solution

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Relevant, Engaging Lessons

Stay current with weekly lessons & assemblies on pressing issues like online safety, the environment and consent.

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Complete Curriculum Coverage

Ensure your school is prepared for Ofsted with comprehensive coverage of SMSC, British Values, Prevent, and more.

What do Ofsted say?

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St Chad's School | South Norwood | Ofsted Report

"You do not shy away from topical issues in your ‘pupil vote’ activities and show courage in enabling pupils to talk about challenging topics, such as acts of terrorism or the ethics of conflict."

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The Ashwood Academy | Basingstoke | Ofsted Report

"Leaders ensure that pupils develop an understanding of democracy, respect and other modern British values. Pupils regularly vote on different themes to express an opinion....Such debate enables pupils to express their views respectfully and have their voices heard."

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Packmoor School | Stoke-on-Trent | Ofsted Report

"Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of democracy. This is achieved through elections for class council members but also through the ‘VotesforSchools’ programme."

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No Expertise Needed

Our expert team of teachers craft lessons making sure all the information is provided so that all staff can confidently lead discussions without any expertise required.

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Explore our Resource Bank for diverse lesson packs, including those aligned with the PSHE curriculum, empowering you to teach confidently on any topic.

What do schools say?

"Votes for Schools is a fantastic tool used skilfully by staff to engage our children in discussions around vital topics such as equality and cohesion... The resources support teachers both with workload and with a 'hook' in to some potentially challenging issues. We love it here!"

Headteacher

Caldmore Primary Academy

What do schools say?

"I haven't had the full Ofsted report shared with me yet which is a shame but PSHE, which a) I am in charge of and b) owes a lot of its content to VfS was rated excellent.... the VfS system is the ONLY weekly opportunity and vehicle by which PSHE is delivered in our school (the rest of PSHE comes down to our enrichment, Respect Day programmes, some aspects of our RE curriculum and assemblies all of which are ad hoc) so I can't really understate its importance: Thank you!"

Deputy Head

Bebington High School

What do schools say?

"I would like to take this moment to say what a fantastic resource VotesforSchools is - it's so invaluable for teaching and informing the children about current affairs."

Senior Leader

Thomas’s Clapham Secondary School

What do schools say?

"The VoteTopics are fun, engaging and really relevant to the young people we teach."

Head of Welfare

EPSOM College

What do schools say?

"Our Year 6 teacher told me they are having the best ever lesson using your anti-bullying resource & that she absolutely loves VotesforSchools. Our drama teacher also emailed me last week saying: "I am not sure I have ever said it but I literally love this website. It is brilliant & such a useful tool.""

Deputy Head

Parkgate Primary School

What do schools say?

"As a result of following the topics, attendance at tutor periods has increased and the feedback from staff and students is positive; they are enjoying discussing topical issues with excellent up-to-date resources."

Assistant Principal

Reigate College

What do schools say?

"VotesforColleges is brilliant. It has enabled me to develop the tutorial provision across the College to promote SMSC issues through the use of the materials, to a group of personal tutors who wouldn’t necessarily have felt equipped to deal with the subject areas ... The use of the materials over this period have proved invaluable and the quality of the resources is excellent… In fact, we had some AOC training in preparation for OFSTED and they specifically fed back on the use of VfC as a big positive!"

Head of Learner Support Services

Guernsey College of Further Education

What do schools say?

"Children punch the air when they find out it's a VfS assembly."

Headteacher

St Chad's Catholic Primary School

What do schools say?

"We love VotesforSchools here, it's a great platform for discussion & debating. We've had Primary schools in, Heads of other schools and UTCs and I've been plugging VotesforSchools to all of them and they're really impressed with how it works."

Head of SMSC

UTC Plymouth

What do schools say?

"My pupils say: "It's my favourite part of the week" and "I really enjoy thinking about the topics and then voting." They are now much more confident discussing each topic."

Class Teacher

Coton C of E Primary School

What do schools say?

"VotesforSchools is such an important part of our week. We display the responses from classes on a board for all to see, and we display the question in the staffroom and encourage responses from the staff!"

ARP Phase Leader and Teacher of the Deaf

Five Elms Primary School

What do schools say?

"VotesforSchools has been great for us to easily expand the areas our students think about and to help them see themselves as part of a bigger world, not just our small school."

Year 11 Teacher

Gryphon School

What do schools say?

"Having access to all the different levels from KS1-16+ allows us to differentiate in our SEN school – it is this flexibility that really works for us."

Upper School Class Teacher

Small Haven School

We have worked with

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1886

Schools

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710273

Pupils

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6955354

Votes

Awards and Nominations

frequently asked questions

QWhat does a subscription include?
A

A full VotesforSchools school subscription includes:

  • 39 new lessons & assemblies, every year, with 15-minute & 45-minute options
  • Access to 50+ additional resources on a range of issues
  • Evidence of how Personal Development (SMSC, British Values and Prevent) requirements are met each week
  • Free staff training and ongoing customer support
  • Access to our growing Hard-Hitting Content Packages, covering topics such as SRE & Radicalisation
  • A voting platform for young people to make their voices heard
  • National data reports with class, school, age, gender and regional breakdowns
  • Weekly home information sheets for parents, carers or independent learning
  • Feedback from Government, professional bodies & expert organisations
QHow do you ensure full curriculum coverage?
A

As a team of mostly qualified teachers, we remember the Ofsted stress, and are committed to making your life as easy as possible.

We map each of our lessons to a variety of curriculum areas, and every single lesson comes with its very own curriculum map, showing what objectives were met in each lesson. As well as that, we'll send you termly and annual curriculum overviews showing you exactly how you've met each curriculum area.

QDo I need to be "techy"?
A

Not at all!

We'll send the resources straight into your inbox every week, to make sure you have access. We create both PowerPoint Presentations & Google Slides Presentations, for use in every school. On top of that, from sign up through to lesson delivery, our fantastic team are on hand to answer every query you may have.

QHow long will it take to get set up in my school?
A

Not long at all! Soon after you sign up, we'll send you a welcome email with your very own VotesforSchools log-in details so that you get started on the very same day.

We'll also send you all of the information you may need to get your colleagues up & running with VotesforSchools, including an invitation to book a 30-minute training session, where we'll introduce the programme to all of your staff & show them how it works.

QWhat is the VotesforSchools "National Vote"?
A

Every week, we ask young people around the UK to share their thoughts on a key issue based on the discussions they have had using our lessons. From climate change to the cost of living, AI to anti-racism, as many as 60,000 votes each week are submitted for 39 different VoteTopics across the year, along with a range of insightful comments that paint a clear picture of what the younger generation think and feel.

We then take young people's voices a step further, sharing their views and votes with key stakeholders and changemakers. The results of our weekly VoteTopics have made their way into national press, key policies, and Parliament! The impact that each and every one of our national votes has had is fed back to young people through the resources, so they feel empowered to make their voices heard in future lessons and beyond the school gates.

QWhat other opportunities does VfS offer young people outside of lessons?
A

VotesforSchools strives to help educators to embed youth voice into any and all settings, which is why we offer a range of other opportunities for young people to make their voices heard in addition to their weekly lessons:

1️⃣ We have our very own Youth Ambassadors, who give us insights into the issues that they want to talk about and why these matter to them. They even help us choose our VoteTopic questions! This year, our focus is on Bullying & Intolerance, The Online World, and The Climate Crisis. To get involved, click here.

2️⃣ For the wordsmiths in your class who have something they want to be heard on, we also have a Young Writers section on our website. This gives voter responses to a wide range of topics a platform that we hope will influence their peers and changemakers alike. You can find some of their brilliant work here.

3️⃣ Every year, we are proud to host our National Student Voice Awards, which allow any young people or schools to submit applications that showcase the impact their work on youth voice has had. With the help of a panel of esteemed judges, we award Primary and Secondary students and schools prizes and celebrate their achievements on our website. Find out more here.

QDo you offer discounts?
A

We do!

We offer a multi-year sign up discount, as well as discounts for smaller schools or schools with special circumstances.

We'd recommend you book a quick chat with one of our team to chat about your individual school, where they'll be able to work out an option to suit your school's needs.

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