UK Parliament Week 2025:
The Power of Petitions
The Outreach Team
UK Parliament Week (UKPW) is all about celebrating what Parliament does, how it works, and the many ways you can get involved.
Throughout the week, our Education and Engagement Outreach team hit the road, visiting schools, colleges, and community groups across every nation and region of the UK - bringing Parliament to life for thousands of people.
This year's theme, the Power of Petitions, inspired a bespoke programme packed with activities and resources.
And the work doesn't stop there. Our team delivers sessions year-round as part of a national learning programme, helping even more people understand and engage with Parliament.
Discover the highlights: where we went, what we did, and what it's like to be a UK Parliament Outreach Officer. #UKPW25
Where we went
UKPW in numbers
Our Outreach Team spans every corner of the UK, and the map shows just how far we travelled during UK Parliament Week.
- In schools and colleges, we connected with 11,248 students through 81 interactive sessions, bringing Parliament to life in classrooms across the country.
- Beyond schools, we engaged with 239 participants in community groups, partnering with national organisations such as The King’s Trust, Mencap, and the Third Age Trust to make Parliament accessible to all.
Check out the different places we visited over the week, and meet some of our dedicated Outreach Officers in action.
Bespoke presentations
To bring this year's theme to life, the team created bespoke quizzes all about petitions, delivered during regular assemblies in schools and colleges.
In primary schools, pupils explored why numbers matter in petitions by guessing which petitions had higher or lower signature counts - covering topics from free school meals to social media, and Mr Blobby!
For secondary students, the focus shifted to the rules behind the petitions process. They worked out which petitions would be accepted or rejected by the Petitions Committee, based on real-life examples.
These interactive quizzes sparked curiosity and inspired young people to start thinking about their own petition ideas for the future.
London Outreach Officer, Damien, delivering our quiz on the rules of petitions.
London Outreach Officer, Damien, delivering our quiz on the rules of petitions.
Using historic petitions
The Outreach Team also created a card sort game inspired by historic petitions from the Parliamentary Archives.
Participants matched historic petition campaigns with the correct image and date, then arranged them in chronological order.
Through the game, they discovered the origins of campaigning - stretching back to ancient Egypt - and explored landmark petitions on the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, the Chartist movement, and, more recently, free school meals.
To reach even more learners, we developed an online version of the game for assemblies and large college groups, making Parliamentary history interactive and accessible.
Getting creative
The final part of our petitions programme featured a creative activity designed for school workshops, SEND groups, and community organisations.
Through our interactive “Hands On Petitions” activity, participants developed their own petition ideas and illustrated them on an outline of their hand.
This activity encouraged creative self-expression while highlighting the historic connection between the written signature and democratic participation.
All of our UKPW special activities have now been brought together into a bespoke petitions workshop, available as part of our school and community offer.
Below is a selection of the artwork and ideas for change created by participants across the UK.
What we offer
Our Outreach team deliver sessions to schools and community groups all over the country, all year round. The sessions run during the MP summer schools are part of our current community programme.
If you're an educator or community leader, find out more about what we offer and request a session.
Community groups
- Free workshops, events and training to community, ESOL and youth groups, in person and online
- EMPOWER! workshops, for adults with learning disabilities, tailored to the needs of your group.
Schools and colleges
- Free assemblies in schools and colleges to teach young people about the UK Parliament and its work, tailored to primary and secondary level
- SEND workshops - sensory based sessions aimed at pre-curriculum age students between 7 - 19 years old.
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