Citizenship

 

Part 1: Opening ambition and philosophy 

Citizenship education involves introducing students to key citizenship issues in order to develop a practical understanding of what it means to be a citizen today, while also developing an appreciation of these issues at a local, national and international level. Our curriculum has been designed to inspire students and to motivate them to continue learning beyond the classroom which will allow them to engage with their passions, interests and the wider community. Students will study a range of themes that increase in complexity such as rights and responsibilities, democracy, the British Justice System and politics beyond the UK. This aims to encourage our students to become independent learners, critical thinkers and decision makers, whilst also developing skills such as speaking and listening, group work and analysis of information - all of which are key proficiencies needed to equip them for life in the 21st century which are crucial for progress and engagement in further education and the workplace. 

Our curriculum intends to develop students into informed and active citizens with the ability to play a positive role in public life. Studying Citizenship at KS3 enables students to expand their knowledge of their role as a citizen in their school and community, their position in their local area as well as the nation, and to examine issues occurring in the global community. The study of rights and responsibilities provides students with the knowledge of their freedoms as well as their moral and legal obligations in society which, in turn, harnesses their ability to embody our fundamental British Values such as mutual respect, tolerance and individual liberty. Students will also acquire an in-depth understanding of the UK Government and the part they play as citizens with regards to democracy in the UK. This will allow them to express their views appropriately, become critical of sources of information and to understand how their political participation can impact society. Throughout the study of Citizenship, students will practically participate in various forms of active citizenship in the form of campaigns to raise awareness or advocate for change on a range of issues they feel passionate about in order to make a difference to their school, local or wider community. 

Our KS4 curriculum aims to embed the skills which they have developed in KS3 to culminate their understanding of the main citizenship concepts which they will be able to use as they progress in the modern world. 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2: Year by year synopsis 

Key Stage 3 

The Citizenship curriculum at HACH follows a spiralled structure where students will learn a similar theme, with each developing in complexity and building upon the previous year's learning.  

Year 7 

All students begin with studying the theme of rights and responsibilities at KS3. In year 7, student will focus on their rights and responsibilities at a local level with a focus on their own and rights and responsibilities in school and the local community. They will examine key documents/agreements in order to identify their legal rights as children. This will allow them to compare their own rights in the UK to those of others in other countries. Students will have studied topics such as democratic voting systems of the UK general election, the importance of press freedom, the youth justice system and their rights when dealing with the police and the need for respect and tolerance to promote equality. Lastly, students will participate in a form of active citizenship where they will be required to create a campaign on a key issue that they would like to raise awareness of. By the end of year 7, students will have mastered skills such as the ability to explain key citizenship concepts, source comprehension and inference, critical thinking, as well as more transferable skills including active listening and teamwork. 

Year 8 

In year 8, the focus widens to examine citizenship concepts at a more national level which enables them to build upon their prior knowledge of those studied more locally in year 7. Beginning year 8, students advance their knowledge of rights and responsibilities by studying the concept of human rights, with an introduction to how our rights may compete and conflict. They will then move on to the expand their understanding of democratic voting systems by comparing alternatives used throughout various elections in the UK. Students’ understanding of democracy in the UK will deepen this year, as they learn about the history of voting in the UK and significant changes that have been made which have advances the way the UK Parliament works today. By the end of year 8, students will be able to construct convincing arguments which will illustrate their points of view. Students will be able to provide evidence to support their views and demonstrate how their points relate to the world today. 

Year 9 

Students will finalise their KS3 journey in Citizenship by studying the citizenship themes at an international level. This will allow them to see how they can apply what they learn at a global scale and where their contributions as citizens will have an impact. Students will develop their understanding of human rights and apply this to international treaties and sources of law. They will transition into looking closely at the theme of democracy, assessing the main features of a democratic nation in order to contrast this with other forms of government from non-democratic countries such as China and North Korea. Students will end year 9 focusing on the world of finance and employment which will prepare them when entering life outside of school to ensure they become critical consumers and are aware of their rights within the workplace. Students will have learnt how to appreciate alternative points of view and analyse evidence in order to evaluate the effectiveness or impact of key ideas within citizenship. 

Key Stage 4 

As students progress to KS4 and begin their study of Citizenship at GCSE, they will begin to hone their knowledge and understanding of the main citizenship themes of rights and responsibilities, the law and the legal system, democracy and active citizenship which they studied at KS3. 

Year 10 

In year 10, students will study concepts such as the history of human rights, the law and the legal system and the main roles within the system, the impact migration has had on the UK but also wider global community, the effectiveness of international organisations and the importance of community cohesion. Students will study these topics in a level of detail which allows them to see how they are applicable to real life and circumstances that are occurring in the world today. Students will end year 10 completing a campaign as part of their active citizenship which will help to improve or make a change in their local community. By the end of year 10, students will begin to work more independently to source examples of current affairs that can be applied as evidence to the main themes studied. Students will also be able to infer information from sources that are both quantitative and qualitative when responding to exam style questions.  

Year 11 

In year 11, students will explore the many features of democracy in order to challenge and question the impact these may have on how society is governed. Students will cover a breadth of topics including types of democracy, voting systems, knowledge of political parties and the political spectrum, the economy and public expenditure, the role of the media, democracy ranking systems, alternative forms of governance and the British constitution. Through these differing topics students continue to embed a deep understanding of the process of democracy, how power is distributed in the UK in comparison to the rest of the world and the role they play as citizens in determining the limits that should be placed on governments in order to meet the needs of all citizens. By the end of their studies at KS4, students will be able to formulate a sustained and logical argument, demonstrating skills such as evaluation and critical thinking, and utilising evidence to establish a conclusion. This will afford students a solid foundation in order to better understand contemporary Britain, the wider world and how they can participate as an informed and active citizen.