The secondary curriculum review
| Level | New level description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pupils begin to ask questions to find out more about the different groups and communities they belong to. They talk with others in their class about these different groups. They say what they think about their communities and about what they like and dislike in their school and neighbourhood. They begin to show awareness of how to take responsible action and, with help, they work with others to improve the school environment. They describe how things might be improved through the actions that they or others might take. They begin to recognise that all pupils have needs and wants and can talk, with others, about how these might be different. They start to understand that school rules are designed to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. |
| 2 | Pupils identify issues that affect people in their school and neighbourhood that they would like to find out about. They explore sources of information and pose questions to relevant people. They give their own opinion on the responses they receive. Pupils show increasing awareness of and can describe their own and other people's rights and responsibilities. They know how rights are different from needs and wants. They begin to make suggestions about and take action with others to try to improve their own communities. They recognise communities are made up of people who may be from diverse backgrounds and cultures. They start to understand justice and know that laws as well as rules exist to help ensure everyone is treated fairly. They recognise that laws help us live together safely and are backed by police and courts. |
| 3 | Pupils use different sources of information and methods such as surveys of friends and family, to investigate what people think about topics and problems in the local and wider community. They organise and summarise their findings and present these to others. Pupils develop their understanding of responsibility, identify what needs to be done to improve things and plan how to take some action themselves. They start to link this understanding to local government by comparing the jobs people do with what happens in the school community. Pupils express their opinion about how well they think local government does these jobs and how things might be improved and recognise that others may have different views. They begin to recognise that there are ways in which rules and laws can be changed by people, for example through debate and voting on issues in their class councils. They begin to understand democracy and how it can work and take part in discussion and decision-making activities in their school. |
| 4 | Pupils engage with topical issues of the day that are relevant to citizenship in a range of ways including through information in the media. They interrogate sources of information to explore different views on these issues. They use this information in debate with others to explain their views. They recognise that there are different reasons why people do not always agree, for example because their rights may compete or an outcome is seen as unjust. They understand that rights have associated responsibilities and duties. They work together to plan and carry out a course of responsible action on issues identified by them as important. They begin to appreciate that individual and collective actions can have an influence on other people and their communities. They understand that in a democracy people are elected to local and national government to represent others and they connect this to their own knowledge of youth representation in the school and local community. They know how people are elected to government and some of the roles in local and national government. |
| 5 | Pupils discuss and debate topical and controversial issues with growing confidence and can draw on their knowledge of relevant national, European and international dimensions of the issues. They use different methods of enquiry and sources of information from different media to investigate issues and explore a diverse range of views. They assess the impact of issues and problems on their own and other communities and draw some conclusions from their enquiries. They give reasons for their own opinions and represent the views of others on a range of topics. They work collaboratively, within or outside of the school, to negotiate, plan and carry out action aimed at making a difference to the lives of others. Pupils show increasing depth of knowledge of how the justice system operates and can give examples of where rights of individuals and groups that are often in conflict need to be balanced. Through research they build their understanding of democratic processes and the work of government and participate effectively in activities involving voting, elections and representation. |
| 6 | Pupils are aware of differing opinions on the issues of the day and understand the influence the media can have in shaping those opinions. They select and interpret different sources of information, including from the media, and identify research strategies to investigate topical and controversial issues in different contexts. They use their findings to present a case for a particular course of action and negotiate this action with others including those beyond the school community. They plan and undertake the action and reflect upon the extent of its success in achieving an improvement or influence in the community. They explain what they have learned about the issue through their action and what they might do next. Pupils build their knowledge of our changing society and political system and understand different kinds of political, legal and human rights. They understand the value of diversity and the interconnections between the UK, Europe and the wider world. They appreciate the impact of these connections and recognise the influences on values and beliefs of different communities within the UK and how these change over time. They understand that there are different systems of government in the world and are able to begin to make comparisons between our system of democratic parliamentary government and others. Pupils understand the economy in relation to citizenship and how national and local government allocate resources and make spending decisions. |
| 7 | Pupils are aware of the significance of global as well as local and national controversial issues. They understand that people from diverse communities may hold different views on such issues. They carry out their own investigations using different methodologies, select, interpret and evaluate different sources and forms of evidence, and present findings on these issues in formal and informal contexts. They construct persuasive arguments, backed by evidence, for their own point of view and can represent the views of others who they may or may not agree with. They weigh up and assess the implications of situations where an individual or group's rights and responsibilities are at stake and examine the political, legal and social consequences. They work with other individuals and organisations to negotiate, plan and undertake relevant action on the issues investigated, to reflect on this action and to consider what more needs to be achieved. Pupils appreciate the interconnections between the UK, Europe and the wider world and relate this to the shape and diversity of UK society today and how this changes over time. They draw some conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of government in the world and how decisions made can affect the global community. |
| 8 | Pupils have extensive knowledge of the UK's political system and how it compares and contrasts with others in the world. They have a sophisticated understanding of citizenship concepts such as rights and responsibilities, democracy and justice, identities and diversity including how these change over time. They can apply their understanding of these concepts to everyday issues and problems facing the world in which they live. They analyse and explain the issues surrounding topical and controversial issues, in a range of contexts from local to global. As part of their investigations, pupils can select appropriate research methodologies, weigh up different forms and sources of evidence and evaluate alternative viewpoints. They can put forward a compelling argument to express and explain their own and other people's points of view, critically evaluating these. They can negotiate an active role in working with others to plan and undertake a course of appropriate action to bring about a change or resist unwanted change. They understand how citizens participate in changing society through the democratic process and actions. They can analyse and draw conclusions about the impact and limitations of their own actions and the actions of others now and in the future, and they can evaluate what has been achieved, explaining what could have been done differently. |
| EP | Pupils use and apply their extensive and detailed knowledge of the UK's political system to analyse how it compares with governance in different parts of the Europe and the wider world. They have a sophisticated understanding of citizenship concepts and can apply these to explore and evaluate solutions to challenges facing individuals and communities. They investigate complex problems, independently selecting appropriate methodologies and assessing a wide range of viewpoints. They construct coherent and compelling arguments to express and explain their own and other people's points of view and can step back from opposing arguments and counter them with logical points. They take a leading role in defining, negotiating and undertaking courses of action with others to address issues and problems in communities. They apply this practical understanding to evaluate approaches citizens take to improve society through individual and collective actions and the democratic process. They substantiate the conclusions they draw, weighing up the impact of actions or policies for communities and the environment, now and in the future. |
