Parliamentary Year Book submission to the Youth Select Committee inquiry urges Head Teachers to make better Citizenship education a priority
Parliamentary Year Book is delighted to make a submission today to the latest Youth Select Committee inquiry chaired by 18 year old MYP for Solihull, Natasha Browne. The Committee is the initiative of the British Youth Council and supported by the House of Commons and politicians covering the Speaker, Rt Hon John Bercow. For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.
In our submission we draw attention to the following:
- The unique function and contribution of the subject of Citizenship to the curriculum in England being the only subject that teaches about democracy, politics, the law, human rights, the economy and the abilities of active citizenship.
- The development of ‘life abilities’ is a core and unifying aim of the curriculum to which all subjects contribute. This is underpinned by the Education Act that states all publicly funded schools must offer a curriculum that is ‘broad and balanced’ and which ‘prepares learners at the school for the chances, responsibilities and experiences of later life’.
- The National Curriculum Citizenship programmes of study that outlined what schools must teach in terms of awareness, appreciation and skills are being revised as element of the government’s curriculum review and will contain financial education for the initial time from 2014.
- Following a period of uncertainty about the years ahead of Citizenship, some schools have reduced their support and resourcing for the subject. Now that Michael Gove has confirmed Citizenship is to remain a National Curriculum subject in secondary schools, steps are urgently needed to ensure more Head Educators make Citizenship a priority, more schools offer high quality Citizenship education and more educators are properly trained to teach the subject.
- Additional consideration should additionally be offered to how Citizenship education continues post 16, especially with the extension of school leaving age to 18. There are presently insufficient connections between the curriculum and for instance the government programmes for National Citizens Service.
You can read our submission in full here.
