Citizenship education in English Schools

A subject and more than a subject

Outcomes from the session

• Understand what we mean by Citizenship education • Considering Citizenship education in your setting

Crick 1998, page 7 para 1.1

• …

Citizenship and the teaching of democracy….is so important both for schools and the life of the nation that there must be a statuary requirement on schools to ensure that it is an entitlement of all pupils. It can no longer be left as uncoordinated local initiatives…

Roots of the subject – political background • The Great Debate after 1976 – the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of schools • The rise of the national curriculum 1986 • Cross curricular themes 1990 – CG8 education for Citizenship • Crick 1998 • Citizenship foundation subject 2002 • Developments across Europe and beyond

Roots of the subject – social background • Increased population movements and community turbulence • A greater interplay between cultures and values • A struggle to maintain personal and national identity • The changing demands on education and life long learning frameworks including he development of social and moral thinking

Cohesion

Courtesy

test

Change

Why do we need Citizenship education in schools?

• To develop understanding of legal and human rights • To build political participation and address the democratic deficit • To challenge social exclusion by creating engaged, effective and informed communities • To counter prejudice and xenophobia

Citizenship is controversial !

• It is about public issues on which people hold a range of opinions and on which they may be divided • It has a values dimension at its core making it inherently about what people believe, think and feel

but

the values may well be contested and not fit a liberal consensus • Issues are topical and may remain within the public domain for some time • In any Citizenship education situation, we should ask What does it look like? What does it feel like?

Useful web sites

• • • • • • • • • • www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk

association – the national Citizenship teachers www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk

and the wider setting – about citizenship in education www.citized.info

teacher training and Citizenship www.dcsf.gov.uk

- about the Citizenship curriculum www.qca.org.uk

- about the Citizenship curriculum and assessment www.ofsted.gov.uk

– about inspection www.nfer.ac.uk/research/citizenship - about current research www.lsneducation.org.uk

Post 16 Citizenship www.newsecondarycurriculum.org

Log on to the web site of CfBT www.thinkingprimary.org

Log onto the revised Primary site