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 (NCCL)

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

Venues for this Curriculum

King's Cross railway station is a major London railway terminus which takes its name from the King's Cross area of London, which itself was named after a monument to King George IV that was demolished in 1845.

Goodrich boasts one of the most complete sets of medieval domestic buildings surviving in any English castle.

Goodrich stands majestically on a wooded hill commanding the passage of the River Wye into the picturesque valley of Symonds Yat. The castle was begun in the late 11th century, by the English landowner Godric who gave it his name.

Exeter’s world-class museum has stunning new displays and galleries, fabulous exhibitions and modern amenities. Its spectacular Victorian building links the modern commercial city centre bustle on Queen Street with the city’s historic past.

The Museum spans that very small period in history in which the technological revolution took place. The items represent the evolution of electrical, electronic and warfare technology between the period 1850 and 1980.

Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland from its position on the Castle Rock.

Discover Highhlights:

The new Library of Birmingham is a stunning building both inside and out. Here you can:

The largest Roman amphitheatre in Britain, used for entertainment and military training by the 20th Legion, based at the fortress of 'Deva' (Chester).

Excavations by English Heritage and Chester City Council in 2004-5 revealed two successive stone-built amphitheatres with wooden seating.

In 1973 the Royal Institution opened a museum dedicated to Michael Faraday. It is in the main Royal Institution building in Albemarle Street. It is free and is open to the public during weekday office hours.

Rural heritage railway in the heart of Norfolk

This heritage railway takes passengers on an eleven mile trip through unspoilt Norfolk countryside, passing well-preserved signal boxes and pretty village stations. Mid-Norfolk Railway runs heritage diesel trains and there are regular visits from guest steam trains. 

Large park with adventure playground, offering geocaching, rich woodland walk audio trail and visitor centre.

Gauntlet Birds of Prey, Eagle & Vulture Park is the largest zoo of its kind in Cheshire and the North West.

We specialise in education, conservation, protection and we have an excellent Bird of Prey breeding scheme.

Rolling countryside with small fields and woodlands divided by hedges and sunken lanes

Escape to a rural retreat just a few miles south-west of Bristol, where'll you discover fantastic views from the ridge across the Severn estuary to Wales and north back to Bristol. Enjoy peaceful woodlands and babbling brooks.

Extensive coastal area famous for wild birds, sandy beach and Roman Fort

Famous for its mussels, the fishing village of Brancaster Staithe lies on the shores of the beautiful north Norfolk coast. Follow the history of the fishing industry at Brancaster Quay, enjoy one of the many courses available at the flagship Brancaster Activity Centre.

Dramatic and stunning chalk escarpment with panoramic views

With views towards Leith Hill, the highest point in south east England, Denbies Hillside is a great spot for wildlife-watching.

Named after John Denby, a 17th-century farmer, the hillside is home to a great variety of plants and animals, including adonis blue and chalkhill blue butterflies.

A legendary beauty spot on the South Downs

Devil’s Dyke, just five miles north of Brighton, offers stunning panoramas, a record breaking valley, a curious history and England’s most colourful habitat.

Stunning coastline and England's only natural World Heritage Site

The great rocky shoulder of Golden Cap offers magnificent views at every compass point. On a clear day you can see across Lyme Bay to Dartmoor - well worth the effort of the walk uphill.

Stonebarrow Hill is a great starting point for 25 miles of footpaths around the Golden Cap estate. An old radar station houses a National Trust information point, shop, toilets and a basecamp.

At the Royal Victoria Park there are a wide range of activities that you can enjoy.

Wildlife and Habitats

Palladian mansion and world-famous landscape garden

When Stourhead first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as ‘a living work of art’. The world-famous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, and offers a day of fresh air and discovery.

18th-century Welsh gentry estate - with house, walled gardens and home farm

This rare example of a self-sufficient 18th-century Welsh minor gentry estate has survived virtually unaltered.

The villa, designed in the 1790s, is the most complete example of the early work of John Nash. It has its own service courtyard with dairy, laundry, brewery and salting house, and walled kitchen gardens (with all its produce for sale when in season).

With an enviable setting in the ancient precinct of the magnificent 12th-century Melrose Abbey, this delightfully rustic walled garden has three distinct areas to explore.

Golders Hill Park’s landscaped grounds contain beautiful plant displays including the peaceful Mediterranean and water gardens, a popular café and a bandstand.

Zoo

Golders Hill Park is home to a free zoo, with a growing collection of rare and exotic birds and mammals such as laughing kookaburras, ring-tailed lemurs and ring-tailed coatis.

This hidden treasure is a walled garden surrounded by woodland, found just outside Balerno, a suburb of Edinburgh.

The garden is a haven for plant lovers thanks to its large variety of colourful and fragrant flowers, plants and trees.

For school visits please phone or email in advance to arrange.

The Royal Burgh of Culross is a unique survival, a town that time has passed by. It is the most complete example in Scotland today of a Burgh of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Town House was built in 1626 and was the administrative centre of Culross with a tollbooth and witches' prison. The old buildings and cobbled streets create a fascinating time warp for visitors.

Striking 13th-century ruined castle

This striking 13th-century castle is perched overlooking the spectacular Teifi Gorge and has inspired many artists, including Turner.

Archetypal 14th century moated castle with ruined interior - a glimpse of medieval splendour

Set in the heart of an historic landscape, with spiral staircases, battlements and a portcullis, 14th century Bodiam Castle is one of Britain's most picturesque and romantic ancient monuments.

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