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:
Association for Citizenship Teaching
National Centre for Citizenship and the Law (NCCL)
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
National Trust Museum of Childhood, Sudbury, Derbyshire
An indoor skate park with a garden and shop. There are different sessions running throughout the day so make sure you check before travelling. There is also a garden area with a ramp and slacklining rig out the back.
There are sessions for all ages and abilities. The park is ideal for anyone wanting to scoot, skateboard or use inline skates.
Situated in the Upper Heritage Site of Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth Naval Base Museum Collection is based on support to the fleet (Royal Navy) at Plymouth since the time of Edward I. It includes Naval stores, uniforms, badges, personal kit, Royal Yacht china and ship models.
The National Media Museum is home to over 3.5 million items of historical and cultural significance, and our diverse Collection encompasses some of the finest and most compelling visual material to be found anywhere in the world.
The Matthew of Bristol, a replica of the English ship that explorer John Cabot used to discover North America in 1497.
Learn about how The Matthew after the voyage's sponsor Bristolian Richard Amerike (not Amerigo Vespucci as is widely believed) in 1507.
Beaumanor Hall is a Victorian country house located in Woodhouse, Leicestershire. Set in 34 acres of idyllic countryside, Beaumanor has been run by Leicestershire County Council since the 1970s and offers a whole range of facilities.
Located in the bustling market town of Devizes, Wiltshire, our Visitor Centre is open Monday to Saturday all year round for you to browse & enjoy. Boasting a free self-guided exhibition of brewing memorabilia, a unique collection of hand painted pub signs, and much more, there really is more to Wadworth than meets the eye.
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. It has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects; its purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate.
At St Catherine's we are aiming to offer a learning experience to visiting schools and groups that uses the landscape as a personal stimulus for the wider issues of sustainability.
The Imperial War Museum, London has been newly refurbished and now features a vast array of weapons and vehicles as well as a range of exhibitions, including RAF planes, tanks and amphibious vehicles.
Offering tours of the steam pumping engines, rides on London's only narrow gauge railway, education in the Waterworks interactive gallery, and the Splashzone hands on water engineering play lab!
Come and discover the story of London's water supply and witness stationary steam pumping engines in action.
Today’s railway represents 200 years of engineering inspiration, innovation and determination; the work that Network Rail does today is the next chapter in this astounding story.
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Planters Sky Trail Adventure is a high ropes adventure course you wear a cool full body harness and slingline to help you conquer your fears, experience high level thrills and get to the top of our 30ft two-level rope, bridge and beam course.
Based at award winning Planters garden centre, on the border of Staffordshire and Warwickshire (just outside Tamworth).
We are a small, dedicated team of 20, resident in Costa Rica with our head office and a warehouse based in the capital, San Jose, two camps bordering the Pacuare River and our rafting warehouse nearby at Guayacan. We design, organize and run multi-activity travel within Costa Rica, Panama and nearby Nicaragua and are expanding to include other Central American countries.
Dragon Hall is a beautiful, Grade 1 listed medieval trading hall, renowned for its spectacular timber crown-post roof and intricately carved and painted dragon.
Built by a Norwich merchant with an international trading empire, Dragon Hall dates from a time when Norwich was England’s second city. In its heyday it would have been filled with wool, cloth, timber, spices and pottery.
The 1000-acres of Park and Forest at Moors Valley have something for everyone.
Stokesay Castle is quite simply the finest and best preserved fortified medieval manor house in England. Set in peaceful countryside near the Welsh border, the castle, timber-framed gatehouse and parish church form an unforgettably picturesque group.
Felixstowe Museum houses 14 galleries displaying the military and social history of this popular seaside resort. Even the building is of historical interest as it was once a submarine mining establishment.
Outdoor Activity site offering wide range of childrens adventurous activities. Junior Quad Bike Treks through 175 acre woodland, Paintball (aged 8+), High Rope Tree Trekking, Super Swing, Climbing, Target Shooting, Low Rope Challenge Course, Raft Building. Holiday Activity Days, Children's Birthday parties.
Treat your class to a 90 minute journey through 1000 years of London’s murky history, as our full cast of entertaining theatrical actors bring to life gripping stories of the capital’s most infamous characters and events.
Come and explore the Wallace Collection at Hertford House with your school, where a team of skilled freelance Gallery educators will help you to get more from your visit.
Large indoor play area with 3 levels and loads of classic adventure play features from slides to balls via tunnels, and with a separate area for under 3s.
The play facility is within the Magnet Leisure Centre, so there are opportunities on site for team and track sports plus a swimming pool which also offers lessons.
By providing a team of experienced and qualified leaders, OXPED is able to offer a variety of DofE expeditions in lowland and wild country areas of the UK (and occasionally elsewhere). It fulfils the crucial role of providing expedition opportunities to those people who are unable to join their own DofE Centre's expedition for some reason.
A quirky little museum, with 3 floor that are jam packed with items from popular British Culture from Victorian times to present day. Fascinating for the kids, and possibly nostalgic for the adults!
The museum is run by a friendly husband and wife team, who have dedicated their lives to building and maintaining this incredible collection.
Horse riding lessons at Sherwood Riding school are great activities for kids.
It's a Nottinghamshire riding school with a difference, BHSI Instructor Sam and her team make learning to ride a horse easy and fun.
The Ridge provides over 120 different climbs up to 9m and spread across four very different walls, so it provides a variety of different climbing experiences.
The youth club here is solely for kids who have had some training or climbed with parents and want to give it a go alone (under supervision) so the age is less relevant than experience and skill. Not for beginners.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.