Why Choose Us?

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.

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pshe, smsc, british values, sustainable development goals,

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.

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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

100% of teachers said that VotesforSchools enhances pupils' ability to understand different perspectives

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.

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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

QHow are the lesson topics chosen?

There are three ways in which we choose our topics:

1. Based on current affairs and what is currently being spoken about in the news or in classrooms.

2. Based on the diverse society in which we live and the events or Awareness Days that celebrate different communities.

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's Safeguarding best practice policy is followed.

QHow do you make sure topics are accurate and impartial?

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?

VotesforSchools can be delivered during tutor time, assemblies, or as part of PSHE or Citizenship lessons. Some schools also have a dedicated VotesforSchools slot in their timetable.

QWhat areas of the curriculum do you support with VotesforSchools?

SMSC
Prevent
British Values
PSHE
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SHANARRI Wellbeing Indicators (Getting it Right for Every Child)
Curriculum for Wales

All of these are mapped every week and overviews are provided in coverage reports each half term.

The platform also includes comprehensive guidance on how VotesforSchools supports Ofsted and ISI inspections.

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

Yes!

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

There is a simple log in process and we provide clear, easy-to-follow guidance. Our support team 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?

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 voting data following the vote?

Schools can access the anonymised data specific to their school and also see the data relating to other schools across the UK directly from the VotesforSchools platform. 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?

The voting process is anonymous by design: voters have an individualised user login so that all votes remain anonymous.

QCan I try VotesforSchools before buying a subscription?

Head to the “Free Downloads” page on our website here to get hold of some outstanding free lessons or sign up now to our 14-day free trial.

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

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 sign up to use the VotesforSchools platform. How do I do this?

That's great news! You can sign up directly here or email us at info@votesforschools.com, and we'll help you get set up.

If you've already had a free trial with us just pop us an email and let us know so that we can reactivate your account - no need to sign up again.

Here's how:

Hundreds of resources at your fingertips.

Curriculum coverage? It’s automatic.

Helping you understand your pupils better than ever

and putting meaningful oracy at the heart of your school

We have worked with

1886

710273

6955354

What do teachers say?

We offer:

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!"

What do schools say?

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."

What do schools say?

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

What do schools say?

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."

What do schools say?

What do schools say?

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

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."

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."

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!"

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."

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."

Some of our awards...

Frequently asked questions