Democratic Life has sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP, asking that, as his department reviews the National Curriculum, he will consider the positive gains citizenship has made in secondary schools in England, as well as the role citizenship can play in supporting the Big Society.
The full letter is copied below.
28 October 2010
Dear Secretary of State,
Democratic Life is a coalition of organisations and individuals committed to strong and effective citizenship education. We, the founding members, of the coalition, are writing to you today to express our hope that the government will underline the importance of citizenship education as a statutory subject within England’s National Curriculum.
While we were delighted to see that your Department signed the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights in May this year, we are still waiting for citizenship education to receive the same type of endorsement you have recently given to maths, science, history and English. As you review the National Curriculum, we hope that you will consider the positive gains citizenship has made in secondary schools in England, as well as the role citizenship can play in supporting the Big Society.
Democratic Life believes citizenship education – through teaching about politics, the law and the economy and by providing opportunities for young people to gain the skills they need to take part in society – is essential for preparing young people to contribute to our economy and for responsible participation in our shared democratic life. We recently sent a briefing to all Parliamentarians about citizenship education, which we have enclosed for your interest. It has been enthusiastically received and we are also seeking the support of leading educationalists, teachers, parents and, of course, children and young people themselves.
As you will no doubt be aware, citizenship education was introduced in 1990 by the Conservative government as a cross-curricular theme and made a statutory National Curriculum foundation subject by the Labour government in 2002. This followed cross party political support and the government’s acceptance of the recommendations made in the Crick report, as well as full and proper consultation with schools.
Since its introduction there is clear evidence that citizenship education is having a positive impact in our schools. Ofsted tell us in its recent report, ‘Citizenship Established?’ (Ofsted, 2010), that curriculum provision and outcomes for students are improving and students’ achievement was judged good or outstanding in citizenship in just over half the 91 secondary schools visited. Statistics from the Joint Council for Qualifications confirm that half a million young people have gained a qualification at GCSE or A level in Citizenship Studies since 2002, with just under 100,000 participating in active citizenship projects involving social enterprise, community action and leadership as part of the GCSE qualification last year. Credible and public recognition of achievement in the subject has raised its status with schools, young people, parents and employers.
Though there have been many achievements that we must celebrate – both nationwide and in individual schools – we also recognise that there is more to do to secure high quality teaching, well planned learning activities and high standards of citizenship in every school. Where there is under performance in schools, Ofsted and the NFER (who have been conducting a longitudinal study of citizenship education since its introduction in 2002) attribute it to weak leadership, too little coordination and a lack of confidence among teachers, in particular regarding the political literacy aspects of the curriculum.
While these are real challenges, they are not insurmountable. As with any subject, Ofsted inspection and NFER research also shows that the best citizenship education is delivered by specialist trained teachers who are passionate about citizenship and who are supported by their school leaders. If the government were to reaffirm its commitment to citizenship education, through providing more teacher training and by communicating to school leaders how important citizenship is, we are confident that the subject’s delivery would continue to improve.
We understand the government’s desire to reduce bureaucracy and to provide a more manageable set of curriculum teaching requirements and we support your aims. Indeed, we would welcome an opportunity to share our thoughts with you as to how a slimmed-down, more focused curriculum can still retain citizenship and its essential role in preparing young people for taking part in a democratic society.
Democratic Life would also be happy to arrange with your office visits to state schools and academies where citizenship education has had a transformative effect on students’ achievement, behaviour and motivation as well as the school’s relationship with the local community. We would be all the more delighted if the Prime Minister might join you to see how such schools are maximising the potential of citizenship education to develop young people’s energy for, and commitment to, the Big Society.
We look forward to entering into a dialogue with you about the future of citizenship education. Should you wish to arrange a meeting or school visit, or if you have any questions about the information cited in this letter or the briefing, please contact Molly Kearney on 0207 566 5034 or at molly.kearney@citizenshipfoundation.org.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Democratic Life founding members: Amnesty International, Association for Citizenship Teaching, British Youth Council, Citizenship Foundation, Community Service Volunteers, Hansard Society, Institute for Global Ethics, Learning and Skills Network
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