How to Talk about Brexit in the Classroom

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, many pupils have little or no memory of it. So how can teachers introduce a topic that was once impossible to avoid?

Picture this. It's June 2016, and you're waking up in a tent at Glastonbury Festival. Somewhere nearby, you can hear people talking about David Cameron resigning. You slowly piece together what's happened overnight: the UK has voted to leave the European Union.

Perhaps you reach for your phone to find out more, assuming you've managed to get some signal. Perhaps you're more concerned about finding a coffee and getting ready for the day's music. Either way, you probably have little idea just how many years of political debate, negotiations and changes lie ahead.

For many adults, the Brexit referendum is one of those moments they can remember quite clearly. Where they were, how they heard the result and the conversations that followed. But for pupils sitting in classrooms today, it's a different story. Most primary pupils weren't even born when the UK voted to leave the EU, and even older secondary pupils were very young at the time.

So, how do you explain Brexit to a generation that didn't experience it? And how do you tackle a politically sensitive subject while making sure pupils hear different perspectives?

Start with the basics (and don't assume anything)

Before getting into the referendum, it's worth checking what pupils already know. Some might recognise the word Brexit from conversations at home, while others may never have heard of it. Even pupils who know the UK left the EU might not understand what the EU actually does.

Start with a few simple questions: What have you heard about Brexit? What do you think the European Union is? Why might countries want to work together? This gives you a sense of their starting point without putting anyone on the spot.

Then offer a short, factual explanation. The European Union is a group of European countries that work together on areas including trade and shared rules. On 23 June 2016, UK voters were asked whether the country should remain a member or leave. The result was 51.9% Leave and 48.1% Remain, and the UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020.

You don't need to cover years of negotiations to begin a useful discussion. A few key facts will give pupils enough context to start asking questions of their own.

Make Brexit relatable

For pupils who weren't following the news in 2016, debates about trade agreements and international cooperation can feel rather distant. Instead of starting with political terminology, try connecting the topic to something they already understand.

Take making decisions as a group. Working together can mean sharing resources, considering different opinions and finding compromises. Making decisions independently can give you more control, but it may also mean missing out on some of the benefits of cooperation.

Of course, a classroom group project isn't the same as an international agreement. But it's a useful way to introduce the choices countries face when deciding how closely to work together.

This is the approach we take in our VotesforSchools lesson for ages 9-11, which asks "Should the UK make more decisions with the EU?" Rather than revisiting the referendum itself, pupils explore the advantages and challenges of cooperation.

Keep the conversation impartial

Brexit is a good example of why political impartiality matters in the classroom. Pupils may have heard strong opinions at home, online or in the news, and teachers will have their own views too. The challenge is to help pupils understand different perspectives without presenting one as the correct answer.

One way to do this is to focus on the reasons behind people's opinions. Why did some people support leaving the EU? Why did others want to remain? What did each side hope the outcome would mean for the UK?

It's important not to suggest that everyone who voted Leave or Remain shared exactly the same priorities. People made their decisions for different reasons, and those reasons can be explored without asking pupils to agree with them.

You can also distinguish between facts, opinions and predictions. The referendum result is a fact. Whether leaving was the right decision is a matter of political opinion. Claims about what might happen in the future are predictions that pupils can question and evaluate.

The Department for Education's guidance on political impartiality in schools explains that schools in England must not promote partisan political views and should present opposing views fairly when political issues are discussed. It also makes clear that balance doesn't mean giving every argument equal time or treating misinformation as a valid alternative to established facts.

Keeping a discussion impartial doesn't mean avoiding difficult questions. It means giving pupils accurate information, representing different viewpoints fairly and helping them form their own opinions.

Make room for disagreement (and uncertainty)

It's easy for political discussions to become a choice between two opposing sides. But pupils don't need to arrive at a firm opinion by the end of a lesson, particularly if they're encountering the topic for the first time.

Encourage them to ask questions, listen to different perspectives and explain their thinking. You could ask, "What would you need to know before deciding?" or "Can you understand why someone might think differently?" It's also worth reminding pupils that disagreeing with an idea doesn't mean disrespecting the person expressing it.

For older pupils, you could take the conversation in another direction altogether: should we still be talking about Brexit?

That's the question explored in our VotesforSchools lesson for ages 11-16. Pupils consider why some people want to move on from the debate, while others think continued discussion is important. It offers a way to explore political disagreement without expecting everyone to have a detailed understanding of Brexit beforehand.

Remember, you don't have to cover everything

I remember teaching and buying a Brexit-themed escape room activity online, hoping it would help my pupils understand what was going on. What followed was an extraordinary amount of printing, cutting out, assembling envelopes and organising mission briefing folders. There were puzzles, clues and certificates. I can't quite remember whether it helped or hindered their understanding of Brexit, but I certainly remember the preparation.

Looking back, I think there's a lesson in that. When we're faced with a complicated topic, it's tempting to create an equally complicated activity to explain it. And while an escape room can be a brilliant way to get pupils involved, sometimes a simple explanation and a good question are enough to get the conversation started.

You don't need to cover every negotiation, political disagreement or consequence of Brexit in one lesson. Start with what happened, explore why people had different opinions and give pupils room to ask questions. They don't need to leave the classroom knowing everything about the UK's relationship with Europe. Understanding a little more than they did when they walked in is a perfectly good start.