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:

Yarmouth Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
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Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight provides a magnificent picnic spot, with views over the Solent for a lovely relaxing family day by the sea. Step inside and discover the atmospheric recreation of how the rooms were used in the 16th century, and see the exhibition about the many wrecks which occurred in the treacherous stretch of sea which the castle overlooks.

This was the last and most sophisticated addition to Henry VIII's coastal defences; it was completed after his death in 1547, with the first new-style 'arrowhead' artillery bastion built in England.

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Letocetum Roman Baths and Museum

Excavated Roman bathhouse, other remains and museum
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
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Explore the remains of this once important Roman staging post, including 'mansio' (Roman inn) and bathhouse.

The site is entirely open-air and manned by volunteers, who are happy to provide more detailed information on the site on the last weekend of every month from March to October.

Letocetum is under the guardianship of English Heritage.

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Warkworth Castle and Hermitage

Be king or queen for the day in this great Northumbrian stronghold
Venue Type: 
Castles
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If you are planning a fun family day out in Northumberland then look no further than Warkworth Castle with its magnificent cross-shaped keep crowning a hilltop above the River Coquet.

Once home to the powerful Percy family who now reside in Alnwick Castle, Warkworth was and remains one of the largest and most impressive fortresses in North East England. It was once home to 'Harry Hotspur', hero of many Border ballads and the bane of Scots raiders.

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Florence Court

Beautiful 18th-century house
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
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There is something for all the family at this warm and welcoming 18th-century property, the former home of the Earls of Enniskillen. The house enjoys a peaceful setting in west Fermanagh, with a dramatic backdrop of mountains and forests. There are glorious walks to enjoy, as well as fine vistas and play areas. There is even a charming walled garden.

Every aspect of life in this classical Irish house, with its fine interiors and exquisite decoration, are brought to life on fascinating guided tours.

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Auckland Castle Deer House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
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A charming Gothic Revival 'eyecatcher' built in 1760 in the park of the Bishops of Durham. It provided deer with shelter and food, and had grounds for picnics and rooms for enjoying the view.

The Bishops of Durham have kept a residence at Auckland since the Norman period.

Built about 1760 by Richard Trevor, Bishop of Durham from 1752 to 1771, it provided a feeding place and shelter for the deer, and also had rooms in which the bishop and his guests could picnic, enjoy the views of the park and take a rest from hunting.

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Dunstanburgh Castle

Massive ruined castle in an impressive coastal setting
Venue Type: 
Castles
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Dramatic Dunstanburgh Castle was built at a time when relations between King Edward II and his most powerful baron, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, had become openly hostile.

Built on the most magnificent scale, Dunstanburgh Castle stands on a remote headland in Northumberland.

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Norwich Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
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One of Norwich’s most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. It now houses the Art gallery and museum, as well as hosts tours of its dungeon.

Explore the Castle's history as a palace and later as a prison, and enjoy our fabulous collections of fine art, archaeology, and natural history, as well as the Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum collections.

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Caerleon Amphitheatre & Barracks

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
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Famed in the Middle Ages as ‘King Arthur’s Round Table’, the amphitheatre at Caerleon was built to serve the Roman legionary fortress of Isca around AD 90. 

The arena in Roman times was covered with sand, a surface more suitable than the present smooth grass for the variety of activities and spectacles (sometimes bloody and violent) which took place here. It is interesting to note that the Amphitheatre, completed about the same time as the Colosseum in Rome in 80 AD,  could seat a whole legion - up to six thousand spectators.

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Housesteads Roman Fort - Hadrian's Wall

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
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Set high on a dramatic escarpment of Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, Housesteads Roman Fort is a fascinating tourist attraction in the north east of England. There are some stunning panoramic views to enjoy from the walls of this ancient fortress.

Imagine how life was for the 800 Roman soldiers based here as you wander the remains of the barrack blocks and the commandant’s house. See if you can find some of the oldest toilets you'll ever see and there's a fascinating museum too, complete with a model of how the fort looked in Roman times.  

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Stockport Air Raid Shelters

Step back in time to 1940s wartime Britain
Venue Type: 
Museums
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Now open to the public, the shelters, with a network of tunnels almost 1.6km (1 mile) long, once sheltered 6,500 people.

Come and experience life as it was during a 'black out' in wartime Britain and experience the sights and sounds of the home front. 

Opened in 1939, the shelters were the largest purpose-built civilian air raid shelters in the country designed to provide shelter for up to 6,500 people. Don't miss the facility of a 16-seater toilet.

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