Citizenship
Subject Introduction
Head of Department: Robyn Brogan
Citizenship education is a core National Curriculum subject and has been since September 2002. Citizenship education develops knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils need to play a full part in society as active and responsible citizens. Students learn about politics, parliament and voting as well as human rights, justice, the law and the economy. They also learn the skills of active citizenship. .
OUR APPROACH
Despite its numerous benefits to young people, unfortunately, the teaching of Citizenship around the country is patchy at best. However, Christ’s is unique in Richmond Borough because:
- we teach Citizenship as a discreet subject
- we offer a GCSE option in Citizenship
- Citizenship is taught by three subject specialist teachers: Ms Brogan, Ms Saeed and Ms Peters
Citizenship lessons at Christ’s are brought to life by using real issues and events in local, national and global contexts. We give students the time and space to explore controversial issues where often there is not an objectively right or wrong answer.
Ultimately this process allows students to think for themselves, to judge available evidence, respectfully debate and develop considered and reasoned opinions.
A common thing we hear when we tell parents about citizenship is “I wish I learned that at school!” – we genuinely believe that Citizenship is more than a subject as its application to the ‘real world’ is so strong.
Results over the past 5 years have consistently been among the best in the school in terms of attainment and progress made by students. Results are consistently, and significantly, above national average for the subject. In 2019, for example, 40% of our students got in the grade 7-9 bracket and 91% got in the grade 4-9 bracket. We are continuously trying to find ways to improve on these results and we support students in reaching their potential
The Curriculum
Key Stage 3
Citizenship is timetabled as a discrete subject for one period per week in Years 7 to 9. In Key Stage 3 the units of learning involve a wide range of interlinking elements including:
- knowledge and understanding: about topics such as laws and rules, democratic processes, human rights, diversity, money and the economy, conflict, Britain’s part in the global community; and about concepts, such as democracy, justice, equality, freedom, and the rule of law.
- skills and capabilities: eg critical thinking, analysing information, expressing opinions, discussions and debates, negotiating, and participating in community action.
- values: eg respect for justice, democracy and the rule of law, openness, tolerance, courage to defend a point of view, and a willingness to listen to and work with others.
TOPICS COVERED
- How democracy works in the UK
- Who’s running the country
- Voting
- Human Rights
- British culture, diversity and identity
- How to be an active citizen project
- Activism
- International institutions and Britain’s role in the world
- Conflict resolution
- Financial matters
To find out more about homework requirements, please visit the Homework section of this website.
Key Stage 4 - GCSE
GCSE Citizenship is a popular and successful option with two classes running in Years 10 and 11. Following the Edexcel exam board we study 5 themes:
- Living together in the UK
- Democracy at work in the UK
- Law and Justice
- Power and Influence
- Taking Citizenship action
TOPICS COVERED
Parliament, Law-making, UK Constitution, role of Government, importance of voting, voting systems, Justice system, criminal and civil law, power of the media, identity, culture and immigration, human rights, consumer rights, political rights in the UK and abroad, employment rights, pressure groups, the UK’s role in the world, the role of international organisations, UN/EU/Commonwealth/NATO/WTO, free and fair trade, peace-keeping and making, planning and taking action to address an issue.
To find out more about homework requirements, please visit the Homework section of this website.
Key Stage 5 / Sixth Form
The closest subject pathway for Citizenship are Politics A Level and Sociology A Level. Staff members can help students decide which A-level suits their interests better.
ENRICHMENT
Citizenship offers many opportunities for further enrichment, including:
- morning breakfast sessions when there is a significant local/national event
- student council elections
- whole-school parallel elections in alignment with UK general elections
- visits from local representatives
- opportunities for active citizenship across KS3 and KS4
- a trip to the Houses of Parliament in Year 10
Our Year 11 trip is currently under review.
CAREERS
Citizenship aids the study of Politics A-Level, and builds on subject knowledge that will assist the study of Sociology, Geography, Philosophy and Ethics and History in our Sixth Form. Citizenship students tend to go on to an array of career options including: social work, journalism, police/armed forces, social research, etc.
EXAM BOARD
KS4
Exam Board: Edexcel
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/citizenship-studies-2016.html
Course Code: 1CSO
Specification:
Past papers:
TEXTBOOKS AND REVISION RESOURCES
Textbooks
Citizenship Today (Jenny Wales, Collins Publisher)
Revisions resources
There are no published revision guides for Citizenship. These will be provided by the Citizenship teachers.
All students are encouraged to keep up to date with the local and national news through television news programmes like Newsround and the Six O’clock news in Key Stage 3, or the Channel 4 News and later BBC and ITV bulletins in Key Stage 4.
Reading quality national newspaper (eg The Times, Telegraph, Independent, Guardian) is recommended. The Library has a daily copy of The Times and Guardian and the Week Junior, and for GCSE students there are politics periodicals like the Spectator and New Statesman. We also recommend keeping up to date with local news via The Richmond & Twickenham Times website and various local social media feeds.
Being aware of topical local, national and international news and issues improves general knowledge and can only boost pupils’ ability to discuss issues in depth, ask critical questions, and examine different viewpoints on current local, national and international events.
All the above have content online, and pupils are encouraged to research different websites to gain a range of viewpoints and ideas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk
https://classroom.thenational.academy/subjects-by-key-stage/key-stage-3/subjects/citizenship
https://classroom.thenational.academy/subjects-by-key-stage/key-stage-4/subjects/citizenship
