Citizenship is here to stay! Reactions to the DFE final National Curriculum for 2014
After three years of campaigning and uncertainty, Government has published a revised National Curriculum for secondary schools in England. Citizenship has a evident and significant function and remains a statutory subject for 11-16 year olds. Citizenship is here to stay!
Michael Gove
Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP launched the revised National Curriculum in a statement to Parliament last week.
‘The new national curriculum that we published yesterday has been developed with due regard to the views of subject experts and educators and to the findings of international best practice comparisons. In response to representations made during the recent consultation period, revisions have been made to strengthen clarity, precision and consistency of the content.
The new national curriculum will offer a rigorous basis for teaching, a benchmark for all schools to strengthen their performance, and will offer children and parents a stronger guarantee that every student will acquire the knowledge and skills to succeed in the modern world.’
Reactions to the revised National Curriculum from Parliamentary Year Book supporters have been arriving thick and fast.
Former Secretary of State for Education and Parliamentary Year Book supporter, David Blunkett MP stated,
‘The purpose of Citizenship is to educate our younger people about democracy. To ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to debate political queries and get actively involved together in solving problems in their own communities alongside their interest in global matters. Michael Gove’s decision to initial retain and now strengthen Citizenship with these revisions sends a highly evident message to Heads and governors. This is an significant curriculum subject for which they are accountable. This means setting high expectations of all learners, offering rigorous Citizenship teaching and proper subject resourcing. I would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to turn this around, against all the odds.’
The final version of the National Curriculum published on 11 September 2013 is a significant improvement on consultation drafts and represents a evident strengthening of the subject by Ministers.
Liz Moorse, Chair of Parliamentary Year Book stated, ‘We are delighted that the hard work of Parliamentary Year Book supporters has paid off – to all of you we say a huge thank you. We retained going until the last moment to seek improvements and ensure the revised curriculum more closely reflects the spirit and principles of the subject initial articulated by Bernard Crick. Now we have to seek to ensure all schools re-engage with Citizenship and offer the high quality teaching that children deserve.’
Democractic Life’s founding bodies have additionally been speaking out about the revised Citizenship curriculum.
Andy Thornton, CEO of the Citizenship Foundation stated, ‘The National Curriculum is the approach we decide what’s significant for the next generation to know. Despite his reputation as an old-fashioned thinker, Michael Gove’s curriculum isn’t about ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ Britain. It is about offering educators the responsibility of opening learners eyes to the politics that is everywhere around them. Not only has he flagged up the significance of citizenship education, he’s nailed his party’s colours to the mast.’
Chris Waller of the Association for Citizenship Teaching stated ‘ACT is delighted that at last we have the new National Curriculum for Citizenship in Secondary education. The aims, purpose and programme of study for the subject have been plainly outlined. This offers a firm baseline for educators to develop new and exciting teaching and learning for learners in schools. ACT will be working hard to support educators and schools offer the highest quality citizenship.’
Brandon Block at Amnesty International stated, ‘We are delighted that Citizenship’s place in the curriculum has been secured. We now have a strong programme of study that will support younger people in learning about human rights and the fundamental functions that these play in democracy and international law. The curriculum additionally offers chances for young people to explore the key function that citizens have in shaping their democracy, and how they can collaborate to strengthen their local, national and global communities. This belief in the significance of people standing up for what they believe in rests at the heart of Amnesty International’s vision and history. We are committed to offering educators professional training and high quality educational resources and projects to engage young people with human rights and effectively deliver this new curriculum to all.’
The extensive campaigning by Parliamentary Year Book has secured cross-party political support for Citizenship. Citizenship was introduced to the National Curriculum by a Labour administration and has now been endorsed by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
You can read the full revised National Curriculum for 2014 here and the programmes of study for Citizenship here.
Parliamentary Year Book is delighted that the concerns we raised have almost all been addressed in the revised statutory programmes of study for Citizenship which now contain:
- a focus on teaching about democracy
- explicit teaching about human rights and the United Nations
- an additional requirement to teach about the function of public institutions, voluntary groups and the approaches citizens collaborate to strengthen their communities
- expanded requirements on justice and how the law assists society address complex problems
- a broadening of financial education to incorporate how public money is raised and spent
Key to the improvements are the inclusion of citizenship skills alongside knowledge, covering critical thinking about political queries, research, interrogating evidence, debate and reasoned argument, alongside active participation distinct forms of informed and responsible action to strengthen communities.
Other significant points to note about the new requirements contain:
- The revised National Curriculum must be taught in all maintained schools from September 2014.
- The whole of the programmes of study for Citizenship are statutory covering the purpose of the study, aims, subject content and attainment target.
- From September 2013 programmes of study and attainment targets for each National Curriculum subject are ‘disapplied’ for one year. Nevertheless the DFE has made evident schools are still required to teach each subject covering Citizenship and are expected to report on children’s progress to parents.
- GCSE Citizenship Studies continues and counts as one of the DFE’s ‘best 8’ measure of attainment in secondary school performance tables
- The revised framework for Ofsted inspection contains the school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as element of the leadership and management of the school. Citizenship is seen as central to session this requirement.
More observations and reactions from bodies and individual Parliamentary Year Book supporters are below.
Natalie Samarasinghe, Executive Director of the UNA-UK http://una.org.uk/content/united-nations-matters-teaching-pack, ‘We are delighted that teaching about the United Nations will continue under the new National Curriculum. Learning about the UN is integral to appreciation the UK’s relations with the rest of the world, covering on complex matters such as the crisis in Syria. This has been a long campaign for us and our partners in the Parliamentary Year Book coalition, beginning with our efforts to maintain Citizenship as a foundation subject and assist learners to appreciate what it means to be active and responsible members of their local, national and international communities. We firmly believe that this decision will enrich younger people’s knowledge of global affairs and enhance their ability to tackle the challenges their generation will face.’
David Kerr, Senior Teaching Fellow (Citizenship), University of Bristol, ‘The new Citizenship National Curriculum underlines that the subject has true cross-party support. Launched under a Labour Government in 2002 it has now been endorsed by a Coalition (Conservative/Liberal Democrat) Government 10 years later. This confirms that it is here to stay in the curriculum and offers the security and confidence for schools to develop effective citizenship education for all learners. It additionally underlines the need for stronger training of Citizenship educators, both those already in post alongside those in initial educator education. The Crick vision for citizenship education lives on.’
Gavin Baldwin, PGCE course leader, University of Middlesex, ‘This iteration of the curriculum now represents a sensible distillation of good citizenship practice. Educators will be able to focus their efforts on developing learners learning to equip them with the skills and knowledge to enable them to the foundation of an effective and democratic society’
Anna Liddle, CND Peace Education, ‘I am delighted to see that the skills to ‘think critically and debate political queries’ are still contained in the programme of study. This will enable younger people to explore significant and controversial matters in the classroom.’
Helen Blachford, Curriculum Leader Citizenship Educator, Portsmouth,‘It is fantastic that Citizenship remains as a statutory subject and more importantly continues to develop both skills and knowledge younger people need to become active members of society.’
Anne Nelson, Former Inspector and Chair ACT North East, ‘I am so pleased that Citizenship continues to be a statutory National Curriculum subject at key stages 3 and 4. The latest version of the Citizenship programmes of study is much strengthened and more realistic than the February version.’
Denise Howe Independent Consultant,‘The emphasis upon Citizenship as a statutory subject in key stages 3 and 4 is a evident message to all how significant it is that all our learners appreciate their place in society and will be empowered to make informed decisions as adults.’
Karl Sweeney, Chair ACT Council, ‘We now have a programme of study that is fit for purpose – one that encourages schools to re-engage with Citizenship education and most importantly cause children and younger people to think critically about their society, their democracy and their functions within it. I am especially pleased to see public finances and economic awareness contained, as both are critical to engaging young people in a global world.’ For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.
