Learning and undertaking activities in citizenship contribute to achievement
of the curriculum aims for all young people to become:
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling
lives
- responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
The
importance of citizenship
The importance of citizenship
The importance statement reflects the three principles of effective citizenship
education as set out by the Advisory Group on Education for Citizenship
and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools. These were that citizenship
should develop social and moral responsibility, community involvement
and political literacy.
Education for citizenship equips young people with the knowledge, understanding
and skills to play an effective role in public life. Citizenship encourages
them to take an interest in topical and controversial issues and to engage
in discussion and debate. Pupils learn about their rights and responsibilities,
duties and freedoms, laws and justice, and democratic institutions. They
learn to take part in decision-making and different forms of action and
how to play an active role in the life of their schools, neighbourhoods,
communities and wider society.
Citizenship encourages respect for different national, religious and ethnic
identities. It also equips pupils to be able to engage critically with and
explore diverse beliefs, cultures and identities and the values we share
as citizens in the UK. Pupils begin to understand how society has changed
and is changing in the UK, Europe and the wider world. Citizenship addresses
issues relating to social justice, human rights and global community, and
encourages pupils to challenge injustice, inequalities and discrimination.
It helps young people to develop their critical skills and to consider a
wide range of political, social, ethical and moral problems and explore
opinions other than their own. They learn to evaluate information, make
informed judgements and reflect on the consequences of their actions now
and in the future. They can argue a case on behalf of others as well as
themselves and speak out on issues of concern.
Citizenship equips pupils with the knowledge and skills for effective and
democratic participation. It helps pupils to become informed, critical,
active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work collaboratively,
take action and try to make a difference in their communities.
Key concepts
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of citizenship.
Pupils need to understand these concepts in order to deepen and broaden
their knowledge, skills and understanding.
Democracy
and justice
- Actively participating in different kinds of decision-making and voting
in order to influence public life.
- Understanding that justice is fundamental to a democratic society and
laws and rules are applied to try to ensure everyone is treated fairly.
- Understanding that justice, diversity, toleration, respect and freedom
are valued by people with different beliefs, backgrounds and traditions
within a changing democratic society.
- Understanding that government is held to account for its actions by
parliament and by citizens.
Democracy and justice
This focuses on the political system in the UK and the role of citizens
within it. It includes freedom as part of democracy; fairness as part
of justice; power and authority; and accountability. Accountability happens
at many levels. For example, in parliament the role of a responsible opposition
is to challenge, test and scrutinise what government is doing.
Pupils will learn about the need to balance competing and conflicting
demands, and that in a democracy not everyone gets what they want. Linking
the student council with teaching about democracy, elections and voting
in citizenship provides a way for pupils to apply learning to real decision-making
situations. Active participation provides opportunities to learn about
the important role of negotiation and persuasion within a democracy.
Rights
and responsibilities
- Exploring political, legal and human rights and how these affect both
individuals and communities.
- Understanding that individuals and organisations have responsibilities
to ensure rights are supported and protected.
- Understanding that rights can compete, and conflict and hard decisions
are made to try to balance these.
Rights and responsibilities
Within a democracy, citizens have rights and responsibilities. There are
different kinds of rights and different kinds of responsibilities (political,
legal, human, moral). Contested areas surrounding rights, are explored.
For example, the checks and balances needed in relation to freedom of
speech to address threats from extremism and terrorism.
Identities
and diversity: Living together in the UK
- Appreciating that people living together in the UK have individual,
group and national identities, which can change over time and are informed
by a person's understanding of what it means to be a citizen.
- Understanding connections between the diverse national, regional, ethnic
and religious cultures and communities in the UK.
- Understanding connections between the UK and the rest of Europe and
the wider world.
- Exploring the different forces that bring about change in communities
over time.
Identities and diversity: Living together in
the UK
This includes the multiple identities that may be held by members of an
ethnically and religiously diverse society and the ways in which identities
are affected by change in society. For example how migration has shaped
communities; how living together in the UK has been shaped and continues
to be shaped by political, social, economic and cultural change. The historical
context for such changes should be considered where appropriate.
All pupils, regardless of their legal or residential status should explore
and develop their understanding of what it means to be a citizen in the
UK.
Critical thinking
- Engaging with opinions, ideas, beliefs and values, and understanding
and responding to the main issues.
- Challenging opinions, actions, assumptions or policies on grounds of
ethics, evidence or argument.
- Developing own views, taking account of a range of cultural, ethical
and moral contexts and views other than their own.
Key processes
These are the essential skills and processes in citizenship that pupils
need to learn to make progress.
Critical
thinking and enquiry
Pupils should be able to:
- reflect on different opinions, ideas, beliefs and values by exploring
topical and controversial issues
and problems
- research, plan and undertake enquiries into topical and controversial
issues and problems using a range of information and sources
- analyse
and evaluate sources used, identifying different values, ideas
and viewpoints and recognising bias.
Critical thinking and enquiry
Using real case studies to explore issues and problems can help to develop
skills of critical thinking, enquiry, debate and advocacy. This includes
developing judgements on the basis of evidence and can involve exploring
opinions and values other than the pupils' own.
Issues and problems
These are topical political, social and ethical issues and problems, which
can be controversial and sensitive and can lead to disagreement. They
should not be avoided but handled so that pupils develop skills to discuss
and debate citizenship issues and consider points of view that are not
necessarily their own. Ground rules and the use of distancing techniques
are some of the ways to manage the discussion of such issues.
Analyse and evaluate
This includes pupils evaluating and assessing different opinions and challenging
what they see, hear and read through research and investigation, considering
scenarios and case studies.
Taking informed and responsible action
Pupils should be able to:
- work individually and with others to identify
citizenship issues within the school and wider community, and
negotiate, plan and take
action to try to influence others, make change or resist unwanted
change, using time and resources appropriately
- analyse the impact of their actions on communities and the wider world,
now and in the future
- reflect on the progress they have made, evaluating what they have learnt,
what went well, the difficulties encountered and what they would do differently.
Identify citizenship issues
The action should be informed by research and investigation into a political,
social or ethical issue or problem.
Take action
This includes developing and using skills while applying citizenship knowledge
and understanding. Actions could include presenting a case to others about
a concern; conducting a consultation, vote or election; organising a meeting,
event or forum to raise awareness and debate issues; representing the
views of others at a meeting or event; creating, reviewing or revisiting
an organisational policy; contributing to local community policies; lobbying
and communicating views publicly via a website, campaign or display; setting
up an action group or network; training others in democratic skills such
as advocacy or campaigning.
Advocacy
and representation
Pupils should be able to:
- express and explain their own opinions to others through discussions,
formal debates and voting
- put together an argument showing consideration of different viewpoints
and drawing on what they have learnt through research, action and debate
- justify their point of view and the views of others, giving reasons
to try to persuade others to think again, change or support them.
Advocacy and representation
Developing skills of advocacy and representation will provide opportunities
for pupils to build on the skills of speaking and listening, reading and
writing from the English programme of study. In the context of citizenship
pupils need to practise communicating with different audiences, including
those in positions of power, to try to influence and persuade them about
ways of making a difference to political and social issues.
Voting
This includes knowing about and participating in different kinds of voting,
for example show of hands, secret ballot and simulating division. Voting
can be part of activities, for example to decide on a motion within a
debate or to agree a new policy for the student council.
Range and content
This section outlines the breadth of the subject on which teachers should
draw when teaching the key concepts and key processes. Citizenship focuses
on the political and social dimensions of living together in the UK and
recognises the influence of the historical context. Citizenship also helps
pupils make sense of the world today and equips them for the challenges
and changes facing communities in the future.
The study of citizenship should include:
- political,
legal and human
rights, and responsibilities of citizens
- the role of the law
and the justice system and how they relate to young people
- key
features of parliamentary democracy and government in the
four nations of the UK, and at local level, including voting
and elections
- freedom of speech and diversity of opinion, and the role of the media
in informing and influencing public opinion
- examples of how individual and collective actions can affect communities
and the environment
- strategies for handling local, national and international disagreements
and conflicts
- the needs of the local community and how these are met through public
services and the voluntary sector
- where public money comes from and who decides how it is spent
- how individuals, groups and organisations can influence decision-making
(locally,
nationally and globally) through action
- the shared
values and changing
nature of UK society, including the diversity of beliefs, cultures,
identities and traditions
- reasons for migration to, from and within the UK and the impact of movement
and settlement on places and communities
- the UK's role and interconnections with the European Union and the rest
of Europe,
the
Commonwealth, the
United Nations and the world as a global community and the political,
economic, environmental and social implications of this.
Political rights
This includes the development of universal suffrage and equal opportunities.
This links with the study of the development of democracy in history.
Human rights
Human rights are a key theme in citizenship that may be revisited in many
different contexts (local to global). The role of the United Nations and
the European Union in securing human rights is explored. Linking teaching
to topical issues provides a way of engaging pupils in learning about
the values underpinning human rights and the extent to which conventions
and declarations have been enshrined in national law.
Law and the justice system
Law and the justice system include the criminal justice system. Some topical
areas of law such as antisocial behaviour legislation can provide a focus
for exploring the difference between criminal and civil justice.
Key features of parliamentary democracy and
government
This includes an understanding of the role of political parties, the first
past the post system of elections, the role of government and opposition,
and cabinet decision-making.
The four nations of the UK
This includes how democracy has changed in recent times. For example,
the devolution of power to the Scottish Parliament and the assemblies
in Northern Ireland and Wales. This links with the study of the origins
of the UK in history.
Environment
The study of the environment provides links to work in science and geography.
This provides opportunities to evaluate individual and collective actions
that contribute to sustainable practices and consider the different ethical
implications and consequences of actions, policies and behaviours. This
could include reviewing the school's policies on sustainability or investigating
the impact of decisions such as those made about purchasing a mobile phone
or domestic recycling.
Locally
Locally includes decision-making in the school and local community.
Shared values
Freedom, understanding and respect in a just and democratic society. Exploring
current topical issues provides opportunities for pupils to discuss shared
values using real examples where values may relate to one another.
Changing nature of UK society
Change is a constant feature of UK society and pupils should understand
some reasons why change occurs (eg migration, economic factors, globalisation)
and how communities change as a consequence (eg shops, food, schools,
languages).
Europe
A European dimension can be incorporated when exploring many topical issues.
This includes the environment, immigration, trade and economic issues,
diversity and identities.
The Commonwealth
This includes the development, membership and purpose of the commonwealth.
This links with the study of the British Empire in history.
The United Nations
This includes exploring the role of the United Nations in the context
of topical events affecting the international and/or global community.
Curriculum opportunities
During the key stage pupils should be offered the following opportunities
that are integral to their learning and enhance their engagement with the
concepts, processes and content of the subject.
The curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to:
- debate, in groups and whole-class discussions, topical and controversial
issues, including those of concern to young people
- develop citizenship knowledge and understanding while using and applying
citizenship skills
- work individually and in groups, taking on different roles and responsibilities
- participate in both school-based and community-based
citizenship activities
- participate in different forms of individual and collective action,
including decision-making and campaigning
- work with a range of community
partners, where possible
- take into account legal, moral, economic, environmental, historical
and social dimensions of different political problems and issues
- take into account a range of contexts, such as school, local, regional,
national, European, international and global, as they are relevant to
different topics
- use and interpret a range of sources of information from the media
and ICT
- make
links between citizenship and work in other subjects and areas
of the curriculum.
Community-based citizenship activities
Community-based activities encourage pupils to work with people beyond
the school community to address real issues and decisions.
Community partners
Community partners could include voluntary organisations and public and
private bodies. For example, the police, magistrates and the courts (to
support work relating to the law and justice system) and local councillors,
MPs and MEPs (for example to support work relating to parliament, democracy
and justice).
Historical
This includes considering relevant historical contexts in order to inform
citizenship issues and problems.
Media and ICT
This includes using and interpreting a wide range of sources of information
during the course of enquiries and research, and learning how different
media inform and shape opinion. Pupils need to evaluate the extent to
which a balanced or partial view of events and issues is presented. There
are opportunities to link with other parts of the curriculum, including
English and ICT.
Make links
Links include work on the media in English and ICT; work on diversity
and inclusion in history and RE; and work on the environment and sustainability
in geography and science.
