Parliamentary Year Book writes to Michael Gove: Why isn’t citizenship a ‘priority subject’?
Parliamentary Year Book has written to the Secretary of State, Michael Gove MP and the Chief Executive of the Training and Development Agency to clarify the plans for Initial Teaching Training for Citizenship.
The plans, published on 8 November 2011, leave Citizenship as a ‘non priority’ area of study and without any bursaries to assist attract the best quality graduates to teach the subject. Parliamentary Year Book has urged a alteration in policy to align Citizenship with all other National Curriculum subjects, which have been designated ‘priority subjects’ and which attract bursaries.
Our letter to the Secretary of State is copied below.
Dear Secretary of State,
Initial Educator Training and Citizenship
We are writing to you today to seek clarification about the plans for Initial Educator Training and Citizenship. The announcement this week by the TDA demonstrates that the government is committed to investing in the best quality graduates as trainee educators. We support this approach. Nevertheless, we are extremely disappointed to see that this commitment does not appear to extend to the National Curriculum area of study of Citizenship.
The published ITT allocations for some reason does not list Citizenship separately yet within ‘Social Studies’. According to the details in the ITT plan, Citizenship is ‘a non priority’ area of study and consequently Citizenship trainees would not be eligible for a bursary. Years ahead trainees will in effect be penalised for choosing Citizenship, as they will need to find up to £9000 for fees on top of living expenses to train.
The evidence from Ofsted inspection of Citizenship in our schools and from NFER’s Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (CELS) highlights a evident correlation between trained specialist Citizenship educators and the quality of teaching and learning in the area of study. Citizenship is delivered best where it is planned and taught by trained specialist educators. Despite the limited numbers of available places, the function of PGCE in Citizenship has been crucial to strengthening the quality of Citizenship teaching in numerous schools across the nation. It is consequently essential that PGCE Citizenship courses are able to attract high calibre trainees to ensure improvements in the subject continue.
Citizenship is the only National Curriculum subject not to have been designated a priority subject and consequently attract a bursary. We are unclear as to why this is the case, especially at a time when the National Curriculum is under review and having received assurances from you during a session in January this year that no decisions would be taken affecting the status of Citizenship until the review had run its course. We are additionally uncertain why some optional non National Curriculum subjects, covering Classics and Economics, have been designated ‘priority’ subjects when Citizenship, which remains statutory, has not. There is a danger that the non designation of Citizenship as a priority subject, combined with a lack of a bursary for those looking to train, may be interpreted in some quarters as a lack of Government support for Citizenship ahead of the publication of the National Curriculum review proposals.
Through high quality Citizenship teaching learners learn about politics, the law and the economy and essential abilities to contribute to our economy and to take element responsibly in our society and shared democratic life. This is especially significant at this time of considerable alteration in society, with concerns about the impact of the economy on social and political life in the UK. Children and younger people in this nation deserve the best quality Citizenship education and the best quality Citizenship educators. We urge you to reconsider this policy and demonstrate the government believes this is significant too. For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.
We look forward to hearing from you on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Parliamentary Year Book
