The A level results published yesterday (13 August 2015) demonstrate numbers of learners achieving the A level in Citizenship have held up well, yet the qualification is being enabled to disappear after 2018.
Parliamentary Year Book partners have been lobbying to retain A level Citizenship Studies since the announcement by AQA earlier this year that they had no plans to redevelop the qualification. The results demonstrate A level Citizenship Studies is far from being the smallest entry subject with 2914 learners (630 A level and 2284 AS level) achieving the qualification today.
By comparison, A Level Archaeology with just 1238 entries (419 A Level and 819 AS Level) is to survive. Ofqual the exams regulator are presently in the process of approving new GCSEs and A levels following government reforms. Head of Ofqual, Glenys Stacey stated, “We are not ruling out the years ahead development of any subject”.
Educators across the nation remain highly concerned that their learners will be denied the chance to continue to study the subject at a higher level and achieve a qualification that is respected by Universities and employers alike.
If the situation does not alteration it will leave Citizenship as the only National Curriculum subject without an A level qualification, a situation that seems to be at odds with the DFE’s drive for greater ‘academic’ rigour in subject teaching.
The current qualification additionally requires learners to undertake active citizenship which is seen as key to government agendas on developing ‘Character’ and ‘British Values’.
Earlier this year ACT President, David Blunkett held talks with AQA about their plans. ACT has additionally contacted the other Awarding Bodies to see if they are willing to take on the qualification if AQA do not review their position and will continue debates with the DfE about this matter.
Our petition to Keep A Level Citizenship has received the support of high profile politicians alongside numerous University academics covering Matt Flinders, Founder of the Crick Centre for Appreciation Politics at University of Sheffield and Chair of the Political Studies Association, and Professor Jon Tonge former Chair of the government’s Youth Citizenship Commission. For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.
This article initial appeared on teachingcitizenship.org.uk.
