Blunkett: Gove must address citizenship’s status in the curriculum before it is too late

David Blunkett recently told the House of Commons that, while he is pleased with Michael Gove for retaining citizenship in the national curriculum, its parity with other subjects needs addressing if we’re to avoid turning younger people off public engagement.

‘I was highly pleased that the Secretary of State for Education—I do not frequently say that—took a step back and did not remove citizenship from the school curriculum,’ the erstwhile education secretary told the House. Yet, he went on:

‘There’s still a debate behind the scenes about parity with other curriculum subjects and the timing of any review of programmes of study. I hope that that will be sorted out between the Department and Ofqual as quickly as feasible since, as the hon Lady [Dame Anne Begg MP] rightly stated, we frequently pick this up too late.

‘If younger people are turned off from the whole proposal of public engagement—not just standing for a council seat or this place, yet being engaged in campaigns and activities that we would all see as crucial dynamics in a living civil society—we will lose them.’ For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.

This article also appears on the Citizenship Foundation website