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
Offers several adventure play areas with a wide range of equipment, summer paddling pool and loads of sports space including 10 all weather tennis courts, bowls and cricket, plus the half mile circuit.
Victoria Park was opened to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1899 and still fulfils a vital role in the community's recreation and leisure.
Indoor Lagoon themed swimming pool with pirate ship play feature for under 8s, 3 giant water slide, wave machine, watercannon and hydroslide.
Under its distinctive dome, the Oasis leisure pool recreates a tropical environment for swimming and water play suited to the whole family.
Cusworth Hall has been described as the jewel in Doncaster’s crown. The beautiful grade 1 listed building is set in acres of historic parkland with lakes, plantations and pleasure ground with dramatic views across the town.
With the timeline wall, habitat and church trails, adventure play areas and wide open country side, if you've got kids that like to run and run this one is for you!
The area was originally a gravel works, but has now been transformed into an attractive parkland setting covering 200 acres which is welcoming to visitors and encourages peace and relaxation.
The story of Morven Park begins as early as the 14th century. The medieval town of Potters Bar - on the edge of Hertfordshire - was the site of a toll along the Great North Road. The remains of this original settlement; the toll house and the old Great North Road are buried beneath Morven’s grounds.
One of the finest surviving medieval halls which contains the legendary Round Table.
Round Table
The Round Table has been famous for centuries for its links with the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Queen Eleanor's Garden
A re-creation of an enclosed medieval garden.
Schools
Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester is home to the Lancashire County Cricket Club Museum.
Lancashire cricket history dates back to the Manchester Cricket Club, set up in the early 19th century. The county side was established in 1864.
A grand country house near Glasgow city centre, Pollok House is Scotland's answer to Downton Abbey and gives a real taste of upstairs/downstairs life in the 1930s.
Children can learn through activity what it was like to live in the House and be a servant in Victorian times. Cost £2 per head (or £1 per child if your school has an educational membership of the Trust).
Set in the peaceful Wiltshire countryside beside a lake, Old Wardour Castle, near Tisbury was once one of the most daring and innovative homes in Britain. It was built in the 14th century as a lightly fortified luxury residence for comfortable living and lavish entertainment. Today the castle ruin provides a relaxed, romantic day out for couples, families and budding historians alike.
Ever wanted to see behind the scenes at the home of Stoke City Football Club? Well now you can!
Tours of the Britannia Stadium are available throughout the week and give supporters full access to rooms and suites that most will have never seen before.
This 400-year-old castle in the former mill town of Menstrie at the foot of the Ochil Hills is part of the Clackmannanshire Tower Trail.
The ground floor houses a fascinating slice of Scottish-Canadian history in a museum dedicated to the founding of Nova Scotia by Sir William Alexander, who was born here in 1577.
An atmospheric house set within Leith Hill with panoramic views across the Surrey countryside, Leith Hill Place was the childhood home of one of England's greatest composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams, who gave it to the National Trust in 1944.
As well as concerts, exhibitions and sporting events the O2 plays host to bowling, you can watch a film, find out how to make a TV programme at the Sky Studios and you can even climb on our famous domed roof to catch the fabulous view across London.
Tucked away behind stone walls in the charming village of Inveresk, this delightful hillside garden offers an oasis of calm and a year-round feast for the senses.
School visits are arranged through the ranger service.
Swansea Museum is a real treasure house of the ordinary and the extraordinary from Swansea past and present, and is a focus for the future of the city and its people, as well as providing a visitor experience that we hope you find enjoyable. You are able to visit Swansea Museum at four locations - the Museum itself on Oystermouth Road, the Tramshed in Dylan Thomas Square in the Marina, the Muse
Oystermouth Castle sits majestically on the hill in Mumbles with stunning views overlooking Swansea Bay.
Come and explore parts of the castle that have been hidden away for centuries, and learn about the castle's exciting history.
Explore the beautiful and diverse broadleaf woodland on the plateau above the famous Avon Gorge, boasting superb views across the city to downland beyond. Leigh Woods has been an intrinsic part of Bristolian life for centuries.
Step back to the early 1900s and enjoy a grand day out, Edwardian-style! Play our hickory lawn game and a spot of croquet, try your hand at billiards, outwit your chums in fun parlour games and more.
Witness two opposing kings - Robert the Bruce and Edward II - whose tactics in 1314 changed the path of Scotland's history, forever.
Shirehall Museum is in a 16th century building that was built as a hostel for important visitors to the Augustinian priory next door. In the 1770s it became Walsingham’s court house and the court room, which was in use until 1971, is still intact.
Located at the western tip of the Ardmeanach peninsula on the island of Mull, this nature reserce is recognised as a National Scenic Area and a Special Area of Conservation, but is probably best known for being home to MacCulloch's fossil tree. Ranger-led activities to meet curriculum requirements can be organised by arrangement.
The Tenement House provides a rare glimpse into life in Glasgow in the early 20th century, in the faithfully restored four-room house lived in by Miss Agnes Toward for over half a century.
School visits must be booked in advance by telephoning the property. Weekday mornings (March to October) are available for visits by school groups and other large parties.
Windsor Castle, an official residence of The Queen and one of her favourite homes, is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. Since the building of a wooden fortress here at the time of William the Conqueror, the Castle has been transformed over the centuries into a splendid palace, while still retaining much evidence of its turbulent past.
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.