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:

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker

The Deepest Nuclear Bunker in the South of England
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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Come and witness the three lives of the bunker starting with its role as an RAF ROTOR Station, then a brief period as a civil defence centre through to its most recent life as a Regional Government HQ. Designed for up to 600 military and civilian personnel, possibly even the Prime Minister, their collective task being to organise the survival of the population in the awful aftermath of a nuclear war.

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Dumpdon Hill Fort

An ancient hill fort with views over the Otter Valley
Venue Type: 
Battlefield / Military
Overall Rating: 
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An impressive Iron Age hill fort, Dumpdon sits on one of the largest and most striking hills in the beautiful Otter Valley.

The climb is well worth the effort, offering fantastic views of the surrounding area. Explore these impressive defensive earthworks before visiting the mysterious small beech forest behind.

Not far from the site Exmoor ponies can be seen grazing on the Rough.

The Carousel Project

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Wordsworth's House

Step back to the 1770s at poet William Wordsworth’s childhood home
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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Wordsworth House and Garden, in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, is the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy.

It is presented as it would have been when they lived here with their parents, three brothers and servants in the 1770s.

Today, this homely Georgian townhouse is peopled by our knowledgeable 21st-century guides and, on selected dates, the maid or manservant is hard at work – and keen to chat.

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Pram Museum

A collection of perambulators; strollers; and sundry curious conveyances
Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

What should you look for at the Pram Museum?

In a word, it's wheels! wheels! and wheels! Well . . . it's actually wheels and axles and the frame. It doesn't matter how cute the bears-and-bunnies print is if a wheel falls off in the middle of the street, or the frame collapses without warning with your 23-month-old in the stroller.

Check out the wheels on strollers you see everywhere you go. Compare wheels, and you'll learn something surprising--some of the jazziest, most common strollers have the wobbliest wheels around.

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Grange Barn

13th-century monastic barn
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

One of Europe's oldest timber-framed buildings, it has a cathedral-like interior and is linked to a local Cistercian abbey.

Inside the barn hosts an exhibition of local woodcarving, tools and a collection of agricultural carts.

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Foundling Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The Foundling Museum explores the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity, and first public art gallery, and celebrates the ways in which artists of all disciplines have helped improve children’s lives for over 270 years. Our programme of regular public events includes exhibitions, displays, weekly lunchtime concerts, talks, performances, workshops and drop-in family activities.

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East Riddlesden Hall

17th-century manor house with romantic, intimate gardens
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Come and explore East Riddlesden Hall, home of 17th century cloth merchant James Murgatroyd.  See the changes he made and discover why his work was never completed.

For generations, this estate was a hive of farming activity; producing enough milk, cheese and bread to adequately supply the household and its workers.

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Netheravon Dovecote

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Set a mere four miles from Stonehenge, Netheravon Dovecote is a charming yet practical building - and an excellent example of an early 18th century dovecote. It still retains most of its original 700 chalk nesting boxes.

You can see the exterior of Netheravon Dovecote from the nearby Millennium Park. You can access this via the lane to the Church, opposite the village garage. Visitors should park in the Netheravon Church car park and then walk back down the lane from the Church and turn left into Millennium Park, via a black pedestrian gate.

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Kimbolton Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
0

Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, Kimbolton Castle was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester. It now houses Kimbolton School.

Best known as the final home of Henry VIII's first wife - Catherine of Aragon - the original Medieaval wooden Motte and Bailey Castlle was rebuilt in the Tudor period. Catherine was sent here in April 1534 for refusing to give up her status as a catholic or deny the validity of her marriage to the king. She died here in January 1536 and her ghost reportedly haunts the corridors still today.

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Dorneywood Gardens

1930s-style garden, with herbaceous borders, cottage garden and lily pond
Venue Type: 
Parks and Gardens
Overall Rating: 
0

Did you know?

Dorneywood is traditionally the country residence of a senior member of the Government, usually a Secretary of State or Minister of the Crown. It was given to us by Lord Courtauld-Thomson and it is administered by the Dorneywood Trust.

Useful information

Dorneywood is open on selected summer dates.

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