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
Home to the lords of the manor of Clevedon for centuries, the core of the house is a remarkable survival from the medieval period.
The house was purchased by Abraham Elton in 1709 and it is still the much-loved family home of his descendants today.
Explore the striking display of Eltonware pottery and a fascinating collection of Nailsea glass.
Looking for a fun and interesting way to explore Robin Hood country? Don't just wander around aimlessly, do a Treasure Trail! These fun Trails show you the most interesting, historical and scenic locations. Enjoy a fun walk in the fresh air and solve the clues along the way.
Robin Hood’s Major Oak Treasure Trail is a fantastic way to explore.
The Worcester Treasure Trail is ideal for getting the kids out exploring whilst trying to solve a mystery treasure hunt.
The answers to the clues are located on existing monuments, buildings and structures: some are easy to find, some are a little bit trickier!
An important Dickens collection, based in the author’s only surviving London house, decorated in Victorian style. See some of his possessions, plus other memorabilia.
School Visits
Contact us for full details and to plan your trip.
Key Stage One
Each visit includes:
Get the kids out ice skating for an afternoon. Great idea if you're looking for fun days out to keep your students active and learn new skills.
The Gallery is a modern exhibition space designed to display material from the most important galleries, museums and private collections in the country.
David Attenborough described the Museum as "A delightful and remarkable museum, a jewel."
The Museum stands in the heart of the town, just where the beautiful coastlines of Dorset and Devon meet. The building has great idiosyncratic charm. Built in 1900-01 by Thomas Philpot, it was restored and extended in 1991.
An imposing 18th century building set in 180 acres of grounds that were landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown. Hall open for events and exhibitions during spring and summer. The parkland is open throughout the year and free to visit.
Himley Hall and Park is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year, with stunning grounds where there is always something to see and enjoy.
Swashbuckling fun for everyone! Treat the family to something different at our 18 hole Adventure Golf course, festooned with obstacles, including a huge pirate ship, lakes, waterfalls, rafts, cannons and even our resident crocodile!
Enjoy a bite to eat afterwards at The Clubhouse at Abbey Hill.
St Fagans is one of Europe's leading open-air museums and is Wales's most popular heritage attraction. The museum stands in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle and gardens, a late 16th-century manor house donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth.
A unique experience: two treasure hunt style walks of discovery to keep the whole family intrigued and amused. Keep the kids happy answering clues and matching pictures, whilst reading stories about this famous ‘City of Legends’. Buy the booklet from our website and explore in your own time.
The 45-minute tours of the Royal Mews are led by the Wardens, dressed in their striking red and navy livery, and depart at regular intervals throughout the day at the start of the visit.
Alnwick Castle is brimming with history to be discovered, offering a range of activities and tours for groups and school visits alike, as well as a host of group benefits.
The castle has provided the backdrop for many famous films and TV series such as Blackadder, Downton Abbey and of course Harry Potter.
School Trips
Aardman's adeptness of engaging audiences with compelling stories told through animation, has earned the company a deserved worldwide reputation. Their award-winning work produces a unique brand of independent film alongside work for broadcast and advertising spots. The studio has had ten Oscar® nominations, and has won four.
Visitors can trace the story of the Cotswolds from Prehistory to the late 19th Century, with hands-on exhibits, interactive displays and a wealth of precious artefacts. There are animated and practical games, and audio-visual screens to bring the past to life for everyone from schoolchildren to grandparents.
Inside one of Wrexham's landmark buildings, Wrexham County Borough Museum is the starting point for discovering the eventful history of this region on the English-Welsh border.
The museum's displays and collections tell the stories of Wrexham County Borough and its people from prehistory up to the present day.
With a history that spans 350 years, the defences of the Garrison on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, form one of the most remarkable and impressive coastal defence systems in England.
You can enjoy a two-hour walk alongside the ramparts of these defensive walls and earthworks, dating from the 16th to 18th centuries.
The shell of Appuldurcombe, once the grandest house on the Isle of Wight and still an important example of English baroque Architecture stands in 'Capability' Brown-designed grounds.
An exhibition of photographs and prints depict the house and its history.
This museum is a real treat. Beautifully composed displays lead you through a series of rooms on two floors that circle the courtyard of this historic building. As well as a clear time-line of the city’s dramatic history you’re introduced to Norwich people of all kinds in displays peppered with insights and anecdotes.
A classic Norman motte and bailey castle, founded soon after the Conquest to overawe the Saxon town. A later stone shell-keep crowns its steep mound, giving sweeping views across the town rooftops to the River Dart.
The Ridgeway is the ancient route that stretched from Dorset to the Wash and still traverses the chalk ridges of the Berkshire Downs. Often described as Britain's oldest road, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that the area is home to three of the South East's most important prehistoric sites: Uffington Castle, White Horse and Dragon Hill.
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.
‘Logically it should not still be standing up!’
Seeing the tumbling architecture of Little Moreton Hall for the first time, engineers in 1990 could not believe their eyes. Fortunately this timber-framed building, curled around with a scenic moat, has defied logic for over 500 years.
Discover something new
Face to face with history. We are home to the UK’s national collection of arms and armour.
At our museum in Leeds there are over 8,500 objects on display in five galleries: War, Tournament, Oriental, Self-defence, and Hunting.
General Collection
A fantastically fun way to get out and explore the historic plague village of Derbyshire. Kids will get an understanding of history whilst solving the mystery of the lost treasure from days gone by. Adults get to share and help them in their learning and fun.
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.