Curious about VotesforSchools? Try our lessons with a 4-week free trial. Start now

Here's how:

Hundreds of resources at your fingertips.

With a brand new lesson & assembly every single week our growing library contains resources for every topic you can think of. From misogyny to knife crime, environment to politics.

Try a resource

Curriculum coverage? It’s automatic.

Sit back and let us map the curriculum for you, covering a wider range of curricula than any other resource provider - including PSHE, SMSC & British Values.

Our unique approach has been mentioned in many Ofsted reports that you can see here.

Start Trial

Helping you understand your pupils better than ever

By taking part in our weekly vote, you’ll have a unique look into the thoughts & feelings of your pupils, helping you identify areas of concern and interest, and where intervention is needed.

Find out more

and putting meaningful oracy at the heart of your school

Meaningful pupil voice creates change. Thousands of pupils let us know what they think about each weekly topic, and their voices are listened to by the Government, a range of charities and many many more.

It's oracy that brings about real change.

Start your trial

We have worked with

Icon of school

1886

Schools

Icon of pupil

710273

Pupils

Icon for votes

6955354

Votes

What do teachers say?

We offer:

  • 39 new lessons & assemblies, every year
  • Access to 100+ additional resources from our resource bank
  • Evidence of how Personal Development (PSHE, SMSC, British Values and Prevent) requirements are met each week
  • Age-appropriate lessons from KS1 to KS4
  • 15-minute & 45-minute optional lesson length for secondary schools
  • Free staff training and ongoing customer support
  • British Values in action with a live voting platform
  • National data reports with class, school, age, gender and regional breakdowns
  • Weekly home information sheets for parents, carers or independent learning

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

Some of our awards...

VotesforSchools has won many awards, including a Bett Award and an ERA Award

Frequently asked questions

The questions we get the most about using VotesforSchools in your school or College.

QHow are the lesson topics chosen?
A

There are three ways in which we choose our topics:

1. Based on current affairs, as was the case for our Black Lives Matter resources, as well as many of our Coronavirus VoteTopics.

2. Based on the diverse society in which we live and the events or Awareness Days that celebrate different communities. You can find our list of pre-planned topics for 2022/23 by downloading our calendar here.

3. Based on suggestions from voters and teachers on what they would like to see us cover. These are some of our favourite topics to cover as we know we are reflecting issues they find most important back to them!

We always provide voters with further information of who they can talk to or raise any concerns with for any particularly challenging topics, and we always recommend the government Safeguarding best practice policy is followed.

QHow do you make sure topics are accurate and impartial?
A

At the beginning of each week the team sits down with the proposed VoteTopic question and maps out the most compelling arguments for and against. These form the foundation upon which each lesson is built, with all the activities offering scope to explore both the “Yes” and “No” sides.

When covering specialised topics, we consult experts wherever possible to ensure the information we are providing is from a trusted source and is giving our voters accurate advice and guidance.

Each lesson is carefully checked prior to publication to ensure that it not only takes an objective view of the topic but also offers arguments from a range of sources to reflect press coverage. Where possible we also like to give young people the opportunity to explore any “fake news” surrounding the topic, and all our lessons encourage critical thinking and seek to improve digital literacy.

QHow do I fit this into the school day?
A

VotesforSchools can be delivered during tutor time, assemblies, or as part of PSHE or Citizenship curriculums. We have also known of subscribers that have had great success in implementing a dedicated VotesforSchools slot in their timetable. There is implementation support from us if needed and lots of sharing of ideas amongst teachers.

QWhat areas of the curriculum do you support with VotesforSchools?
A

Please see below for guidelines which show how we support British Values, SMSC, Prevent and the draft Ofsted framework (2019) across Primary & Secondary schools and Colleges in England and Wales. Click the links to download the relevant material for your school.

Primary: VotesforSchools Primary Curriculum & Ofsted overview
Secondary: VotesforSchools Secondary Curriculum & Ofsted overview
Colleges: VotesforColleges Curriculum & Ofsted overview

We also provide termly summaries of how we have met SMSC, British Values, Prevent, UNCRC and SDGs through each weekly topic. These are sent out as part of our Christmas, Easter & Summer newsletters.

For our Scottish schools the documents below outline what you can expect from your weekly Curriculum Guides:

Primary: VotesforSchools Primary & Scottish Curriculum
Secondary: VotesforSchools Secondary & Scottish Curriculum
Colleges: VotesforColleges & Scottish Curriculum

We also provide termly summaries of the SHANARRI, UNCRC and SDGs criteria that our VoteTopics have met as well as an overview of the different themes covered.

QCan I use the material with as many different year groups/classes as I want?
A

Yes!

QHow do I get pupils signed up with their login and password?
A

There is a simple log in process and we provide clear, easy-to-follow guidance. Our helpline is available during school hours with friendly advice and help if you have any problems: info@votesforschools.com

QWhat access to technology does my school need to be part of VotesforSchools?
A

We understand that all schools have different approaches and access to technology. We have built maximum flexibility into the platform meaning that students can vote on laptops, tablets, smartphones or in the school computer suite. Teachers can also register their class' votes on the platform and, if tech is not your thing, we provide a ballot box if a school prefers to vote manually rather than online.

QHow do I access the VoteData following the vote?
A

Schools can access the anonymised data specific to their school and also see the data relating to other schools across the UK. The VoteData will be sent to the lead teacher in your school. A full report on the weekly results as well as user-friendly infographics are also uploaded to our website and social media platforms each week.

QHow can I make sure the votes are anonymous?
A

VotesforSchools takes the issue of data protection and data privacy extremely seriously and adheres to the highest possible standards. Privacy of data is one of the core principles of our company and we will never sell or commercialise data. Voters have an individualised user login so that all data remains anonymous. Data on your school will be private and unique to you and will under no circumstances be shared with anyone else.

QCan I trial VotesforSchools before buying a subscription?
A

We know that you will want to give VotesforSchools a try with your school community before you join us. Head to the “Free Downloads” page on our website here to get hold of some outstanding free lessons for you to use and trial in your school.

QI’ve signed up my school to the platform half-way through the year. How will we get a full year’s access?
A

The VotesforSchools platform runs for a whole year, regardless of sign-up date with VotePacks for every week of the academic year.

If you would like access to any past topics, please get in touch at info@votesforschools.com.

QI want to buy a license to use the VotesforSchools platform. How do I do this?
A

You can sign up by going to the “Sign Up” page here; email us on info@votesforschools.com, or call us on 07754 862979.

QHow do you use data?
A

VotesforSchools takes data and privacy very seriously. We are fully compliant with the GDPR measures and ensure that any personal data is fully protected.

The personal data we collect on staff is exclusively used for the running of the VotesforSchools programme. We only collect staff emails; we collect zero identifiable personal data on voters, and we use staff emails to send new resources and allow schools to vote.

No data is shared with third parties unless we are required to do so by law and we will never pass your data to a third party without asking for permission.

If you have any further questions about data use please email info@votesforschools.com to request a copy of our compliance statement.