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
A complete off road Pony Trekking Centre. All Weather riding all year round, even in the snow! Disabled customers catered for, Treks suitable for all levels of rider available, We cater for ages 4 upwards.
Look out for the Buzzards and Herons flying overhead whilst taking a trail ride around the Nature Reserve or a cheeky woodpecker in the woods!
A free museum about the history of Oxford and its people. Families can explore the interactive galleries and come along to monthly family craft workshops in the learning centre to handle real objects.
Museum of Oxford offers fun and interactive galleries for families to explore local history of Oxford and its people; including an interactive touch screen.
City Hall is home to the Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the 600 or so permanent staff who work for the Greater London Authority.
The Nancy Oldfield Trust offers disabled and socially disadvantaged people excitement, freedom, adventure and provide wheelchair access on the Norfolk Broads. Established in 1984 we are the only facility of our kind in East Anglia, providing a wide range of activities and opportunities for our visitors.
Llama trekking in the Peak District is the ideal way to spend a day out with a difference. These graceful animals are the perfect walking companion - not too fast, not too slow and with the added bonus of carrying your excess baggage!
Shropshire based petting farm and zoo with over 150 different species of animal. Indoor and outdoor demonstrations take place daily including lamb feeding, sheep racing; meet the meerkats and egg collecting. The farm also has an indoor and outdoor play area, cafe and gift shop.
A farm park, petting farm, indoor soft play, outdoor play, nature park, wildlife encounters, adventure play, working farm, cafe, educational centre, rare breeds farm, adventure play, children’s birthday parties.
Llama trekking is fast becoming a 'must-do' activity. Bond with your llama, get to know him and take him on a walk in the glorious countryside of south west Herefordshire. If travelling from further afield, why not take a two day stay in one of our holiday cottages?
Although you can't actually ride them, these lovely pack animals will willingly carry your rucksack, whilst you enjoy the beautiful scenery. What better way to get away from it all than by leading a gentle llama along bridleways, farm tracks and country lanes.
Features
This beautiful 17th century Normandy Château is located in the idyllic fishing village of Criel-sur-Mer, providing the ideal opportunity for young people to immerse themselves in French culture
Just 90 minutes from Calais and 20 minutes from Dieppe, the Château is surprisingly accessible
St Nicholas Meadow was acquired by Warwick Borough Council and the formal gardens and the Children’s Corner were opened in the 1930s.
St Nicholas Park's activities attracts visitors from all over the Midlands as well as local people.
Things to enjoy:
A farm park with a difference, featuring an enchanted walk, adventure playground and our collection of farm and exotic animals. Everything is designed with disabled children in mind, but Fairytale Farm can be enjoyed by everybody.
Stoke Mandeville Stadium is the National Centre for Disability Sport in the United Kingdom.
The Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall, houses the world's largest collection of witchcraft-related artefacts and regalia. This is a unique collection and has a fascinating on-line catalogue. The objects in the collection provide a great way to explore history and many contemporary issues. You can explore...
Some 300 Bronze Age and medieval sites, covering 15 1⁄2 square kilometres (6 square miles) of Dartmoor landscape.
A fascinating chance to get closer to nature. Find out about wildlife habitats, biodiversity and climate change.
Neptune Sailing has been part of Suffolk Water Sports Association and is a Recognised Training Centre for the RYA. It has been working with Neptune Youth Group and those keen to learn to sail in the local community for many years. The Centre has been divested from SWSA to Neptune Sailing Management Committee. It has been awarded charitable status.
Saxtead Green Post Mill is a corn mill, whose whole body revolves on its base and is one of many built in Suffolk from the late 13th century.
Ring the bell on a fire engine, drive a bus or visit our restoration zone.
The Ipswich Transport Museum has the largest collection of transport items in Britain devoted to just one town. Everything was either made or used in and around Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk.
Follow the story around this beautiful Georgian building taking in domestic life and childhood in Colchester over the past 300 years.
This beautiful Tudor mansion is the jewel in the crown of Ipswich's historic past boasting over 500 years of history.
Explore the period rooms from the Tudor kitchen to the sumptuous Georgian saloon and the beautifully detailed Victorian wing and much more!
This picturesque fortified mansion was built for Lord Hastings, who was dramatically seized and executed by Richard III in 1483.
Hastings’ descendants still believe they have a direct line to the throne of England.
The remains of Christchurch Castle include parts of the mound-top keep, and more unusually the 12th-century riverside chamber block or 'Constable's House'. This very early example of domestic architecture includes a rare Norman chimney.
History
The construction of a castle and monastery transformed the fortified settlement of Twyneham.
Colchester Castle is the largest Norman Keep in Europe. Constructed on the foundations of the Temple of Claudius, built when Colchester was the first Roman capital of Britain, the Castle Museum today reveals many fascinating layers of history to visitors.
Standing at 915 feet (279 metres) Lewesdon Hill, along with nearby Pilsdon Pen, dominates the surrounding landscape. It's certainly an alluring hill fort, although being enclosed by woodland the views aren't uninterrupted, but the glimpses of the surrounding landscape you do get through the trees are worth the climb to the top.
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.