Citizenship

Citizenship

Citizenship Studies is concerned with the kind of society we live in and want to influence and develop. It covers, too, the role of the public and private organisations in the process. School courses help prepare students to become active citizens. The best of them promote students’ personal and social development, and make them more self-confident and responsible, in the classroom and beyond.

All external examination courses emphasise developing awareness of the role of citizens in a variety of contexts.

Just about any educational visit will contribute to the students’ exploration of new experiences and new ideas about being a ‘citizen’, but venues and activities that bring students into contact with other communities, other social contexts and other attitudes will be particularly exciting. Many museums and venues specialise in giving hands-on experiences of what some aspects of life in earlier centuries was actually like. These tend to be attractive to primary school groups.

Secondary groups often visit civic centres and attend local council meetings. Both primary and secondary groups will be welcome at churches, chapels, synagogues, mosques and temple, some of which offer programmes of talks and exhibitions. In cities this is relatively easy to arrange but even in rural communities priests and lay church people are prepared to help schools.

The Citizenship Foundation would be an excellent starting point. It claims to help 80% of secondary schools to nurture citizenship, and sets out to inspire young people to contribute to society. The Association for Citizenship Teaching also provides advice and teaching resources, while the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law delivers law and justice education at national heritage sites.

 

Main organisations:

Citizenship Foundation 

Association for Citizenship Teaching

National Centre for Citizenship and the Law

PSHE Association

Democratic Life

Hansard Society

Inclusion: NASEN

 

Thought of visiting?

The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green

National Trust Museum of Childhood, Sudbury, Derbyshire

Museum of Childhood, Edinburgh

The London Museum

The National Archives, Kew

Houses of Parliament

Welsh Assembly

Scottish Parliament

Northern Ireland Assembly

 

Although every visit can result in learning outcomes for Citizenship, for a complete list of venues and providers who deliver specialist courses and activities for this subject see below:

Mount Stewart

Venue Type: 
Parks and Gardens
Overall Rating: 
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The exotic luxuriance of Mount Stewart's celebrated gardens, created in the 1920s by Edith, Lady Londonderry has helped make it one of Northern Ireland's most popular Trust's properties with all the family. Nominated as a world heritage site, the impressive landscape garden makes the most of the unique microclimate of the Ards peninsula and boasts magnificent views across Strangford Lough from the romantically idyllic Temple of the Winds.

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Fountains Abbey

Cistercian abbey, elegant Georgian water garden and medieval deer park
Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
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For centuries people have been drawn to this inspiring place.

From humble beginnings the magnificent abbey was established by devout monks seeking a simpler existence. The atmospheric ruins that remain are a window into a way of life which shaped the medieval world.

When the socially ambitious John Aislabie inherited Studley Royal, he set about creating an elegant water garden of mirror-like ponds, statues and follies, incorporating the romantic ruins into his design.

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Lanlay Meadows

A landscape abandoned by a generation of progress
Venue Type: 
Wildlife and Nature
Overall Rating: 
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A step into Lanlay Meadows is a step back in time, where sprawling, unkempt hedgerows meet gnarled, twisted old oak trees.

Farmed for centuries, this small fragment of land has lain unchanged for decades, avoiding the wrath of today's flail hedge trimmers and fertilisers and becoming a rare haven for a huge array of wildlife.

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Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum

Venue Type: 
Transport
Overall Rating: 
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The Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne is an idyllic picture of passing boats and local wildlife. It’s a relaxing and lovely place for a day out.

There are loads of different things to do – boat trips and walks, bird watching and fun for kids at Rookery farm.

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Escot Park

There's a natural surprise waiting around every corner
Venue Type: 
Wildlife and Nature
Overall Rating: 
0

For all lovers of nature and the great outdoors, Escot is a unique experience and offers a great day out.

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Middleton Hall

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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Middleton Hall is a "unique" Grade II-listed country house in Staffordshire. The hall shows evidence of several phases of English domestic architecture from the late thirteenth to the early nineteenth century. There is a fine Great Hall that is of Tudor origin, which makes a classic setting for weddings, for performances and for parties.

The Hall was the home of some notable people and was visited by many figures from history. Included among these is Queen Elizabeth I, who certainly spent two nights under its roof after the festivities at Kenilworth in 1575.

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Worcester Woods Countryside Park & Centre

Venue Type: 
Parks and Gardens
Overall Rating: 
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Two nature reserves, a huge open field, busy Countryside Centre with cafe facilities, adventure play area and easy access from the city or the motorway, make this site very popular with a variety of visitors. Whether you are looking for birds, swings, coffee, flowers, footpaths or all of these and more, you've come to the right place at Worcester Woods Country Park.

The Orchard Cafe

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Cliveden Gardens and Maze

Glorious gardens overlooking the River Thames.
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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Set high above the Thames with far-reaching views, Cliveden’s impressive gardens and majestic woodlands capture the grandeur of a bygone age.

Follow in the footsteps of dukes, earls and royalty as you explore a series of gardens, each with their own special charm. From the formality of the Parterre with its vibrant floral displays to the quirky statuary and topiary in the Long Garden, the gardens will delight you in every season.

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National Botanic Garden of Wales

Venue Type: 
Parks and Gardens
Overall Rating: 
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Welcome to the National Botanic Garden of Wales. The first botanic garden of the new millennium is 568 acres of beautiful Carmarthenshire countryside, about an hour west of Cardiff. It is easy to get to but hard to forget.

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Dinefwr

12th-century Welsh castle, historic house and 18th-century landscape park, enclosing a medieval deer park
Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
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A magical land of power and influence for more than 2,000 years, Dinefwr Park and Castle is an iconic place in the history of Wales. Two forts are evidence of a dominant Roman presence. The powerful Lord Rhys held court at Dinefwr and influenced decisions in Wales.

The visionaries, George and Cecil Rice designed the superb 18th-century landscape that you see today.

The 'hands-on' Newton House gives visitors an atmospheric circa 1912 experience. Exhibitions on the first floor tell Dinefwr's story and inspire visitors to explore the castle and park.

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