KS3 & KS4 Citizenship

Aims and purpose

What are the aims and purpose of our curriculum?

With this curriculum, we aim to provide pupils with the knowledge and skills needed to play an effective role in public and democratic life. Pupils learn foundational concepts such as power, democracy, rights, law, justice, diversity, equality, finance, and active citizenship. Pupils are encouraged to think critically and debate on political and social issues, deepening their understanding through research and deliberation. This prepares pupils to participate responsibly and effectively in society.

Oak curriculum principles

What overarching curriculum principles inform the design of our curriculum?

Knowledge and vocabulary rich

This principle recognises the important role that knowledge, and vocabulary as a particularly important type of knowledge, plays in learning. Knowledge is deliberately built over time, for example in human rights, pupils first learn about children’s rights, then the rights we have in the UK, before finally learning about global human rights issues. We identify and map vocabulary across the curriculum, both in terms of the introduction of new vocabulary and the necessary repetition of vocabulary that has gone before. New vocabulary, called keywords, are signalled in bold in our lesson materials to indicate their importance.

Sequenced and coherent

Our citizenship curriculum is based on careful and purposeful sequencing of content, ensuring that pupils can build on and make links with existing knowledge. Attention is paid to vertical coherence via threads, which map the developments of concepts over time, for example, in our ‘Politics, parliament and government’ thread, pupils first study democracy and society at a local level, exploring the role of a school council or local democracy. Following this, they are taught about governance on a regional and national level, including the role of the Westminster government, before learning about international organisations, including the United Nations.

Evidence-informed

Our evidence-informed approach enables the rigorous application of research outcomes, science of learning and impactful best practice both in education in general and at a subject specific level. For example, the design of our resources reflects findings from Sweller’s cognitive load theory and Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning whilst our lesson design draws on Rosenshine’s principles of instruction. We also draw on findings from research organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). At the subject level, we draw on guidance from the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT), which highlights the importance of active citizenship and democratic engagement. This supports our focus on practical experiences in citizenship education, such as in the year 10 unit ‘How can we make a difference in society? Active citizenship project’. We also incorporate insights from ACT’s research briefings, which emphasise pupils participating in student councils, which we explore in our year 7 unit, ‘Citizenship - what’s it all about?’

Flexible

Our flexible approach enables schools to use our resources in a way that fits their context and meets the varying needs of teachers and their pupils. Our curriculum can be used in its entirety or units can be selected to complement existing curricula. Our resources are adaptable so that, for example, teachers can edit or add checks for understanding, adapt practice tasks to better reflect the prior knowledge of their pupils, or add local context such as including information about their local MP when teaching about democracy. At key stage 4 teachers and pupils can select a core citizenship pathway or pathways aligned to the most frequently used exam board specifications for GCSE Citizenship: AQA or Edexcel.

Diverse

Our commitment to diversity in content, language, texts, and media can be seen throughout the curriculum, for example in the group of diverse school age characters that feature in our resources. This includes examining the UK's multicultural society, the impact of immigration, and the contributions of various communities. By exposing pupils to a wide range of case studies, we cultivate empathy, respect, and a deeper understanding of the society they live in, preparing them to be active, inclusive citizens. Our study of governance covers all constituent parts of the United Kingdom from the Welsh Parliament to regional mayors, power-sharing in Northern Ireland to the Scottish Independence Referendum. We also provide opportunities to compare and contrast approaches to governance in other countries around the world.

Accessible

Our curriculum is intentionally designed to facilitate high-quality teaching as a powerful lever to support pupils with SEND. Aligned with EEF guidance, our resources have a focus on clear explanations, modelling and frequent checks for understanding, with guided and independent practice. Lessons are chunked into learning cycles and redundant images and information are minimised to manage cognitive load. We have removed reference to year groups in our resources so that they can be used when pupils are ready, regardless of their age. Our resources are purposefully created to be accessible, for example by using accessible fonts, colours with good contrast, and captions in our videos.

Oak subject principles

What subject specific principles inform the design of our curriculum?

Focuses on the knowledge and skills specific to citizenship, including:

• Ensuring that all content is grounded in the law;

• Democracy, government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

Our curriculum teaches pupils about the nature of rules, laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals. Pupils learn about the different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems. Throughout our curriculum, pupils learn about democracy, government, and citizens' rights and responsibilities. For example, they learn about the different systems of government across the United Kingdom and the UK’s evolving relationship with the EU, the Commonwealth, and other supranational organisations.

A focus on the application of knowledge through dialogue and debate, civic responsibility and democratic engagement.

In our curriculum, pupils are challenged to prepare for and participate in discussions and debates on topics such as climate change and human rights. In addition, our curriculum includes active citizenship projects where pupils research local issues and propose solutions. For example, pupils can research and promote ways to reduce littering and increase recycling in their school community.

National curriculum

How does our curriculum reflect the aims & purpose of the national curriculum?

There are four aims of the national curriculum. First, is that all pupils should acquire a sound knowledge and understanding of how the United Kingdom is governed, its political system and how citizens participate actively in its democratic systems of government. We begin with a focus on local government, so pupils understand how citizens participate in their communities. Pupils then explore different forms of government at a regional and national level, including the role and functions of the Westminster Parliament.

Next is to develop a sound knowledge and understanding of the role of law and the justice system in our society and how laws are shaped and enforced. Pupils are taught about crime and its consequences both for the individual and society and about human rights and the UK legal system, including in year 8, a unit on ‘What is the law, and how has it changed?’. As pupils progress, they learn how the law helps society deal with complex problems.

Thirdly is to develop an interest in, and commitment to, participation in volunteering as well as other forms of responsible activity, that they will take with them into adulthood. In the first unit of year 7, ‘Citizenship—What's it all about?’ pupils learn how to contribute to their communities. Active citizenship projects become increasingly ambitious as they progress through the curriculum, ensuring that pupils participate fully in society.

Finally, pupils are equipped with the knowledge and skills to think critically and debate political questions, to enable them to manage their money on a day-to-day basis, and plan for future financial needs. From year 7, pupils develop discussion and debating skills, starting with the role of a school council. Pupils also learn about financial education and explore budgeting and saving in key stage 3, followed by pensions and financial products and services in key stage 4.

Curriculum delivery

What teaching time does our curriculum require?

We provide a secondary citizenship curriculum at key stages 3 & 4 only. Our curriculum for key stage 3 is designed for 36 weeks of curriculum time across the school year, leaving time for other activities both within and beyond the curriculum such as assessments or school trips. At key stage 4, year 10 also has 36 weeks of curriculum time, but year 11 has only 24 weeks (approximately 2 terms) to recognise that schools will not be teaching new content in the run up to the GCSE exams.

At key stage 3, our curriculum has been designed to teach one weekly lesson, 50 minutes to an hour long. We understand that exact time dedicated to citizenship can vary greatly between schools due to differences in curriculum planning, resource allocation and school-specific priorities. Therefore we fully expect and encourage teachers to adapt our curriculum and resources to best suit their needs and available curriculum time. At key stage 4 we provide a sequence covering the core citizenship curriculum which has one lesson per week. For those also following the GCSE Citizenship course the sequence provides a further lesson per week. All key stage 4 lessons are designed to last approximately one hour.

Curriculum coherence

What are 'threads'?

We use threads to signpost groups of units that link to one another, building a common body of knowledge over time. We use the term thread, rather than vertical concepts, themes, or big ideas, because it helps to bring to mind the visual concept of a thread weaving through the curriculum.

Our citizenship threads are:

• Identities and communities
• Rights, justice and the law
• Politics, parliament and government
• Finance and the economy
• Role of media and digital democracy
• UK and the wider world
• Active citizenship, making a positive difference

In citizenship, threads reflect the essential and complex concepts that underpin the curriculum. Drawing inspiration from the national curriculum and the Association for Citizenship Teaching, these threads act as the lens through which we select our curriculum content. Over time pupils develop deeper knowledge and understanding as they advance through the curriculum. For example, in the thread of ‘Politics, parliament, government,’ pupils first learn about the difference between local and national government before progressing to how the political system operates and how the UK is governed. In key stage 4 pupils are taught about the strengths and weaknesses of the UK's democratic system before critically exploring where power resides within the UK.

Recommendations from subject specific reports

How does our curriculum address and enact recommendations from subject specific reports (e.g. EEF guidance reports & Ofsted Research Review)?

While there is no recent EEF or Ofsted research review for citizenship, our curriculum reflects concerns and recommendations of the 2023 House of Lords Liaison Committee on Teaching Citizenship and Life Skills in Schools and 2022 Bank of England report on Financial Education in a Digital World, that “more prominence is given to financial education in schools”.

Subject-specific needs

How does our curriculum deal with elements that arise from the specific needs of the subject?

Why is there no primary citizenship curriculum?

The national curriculum for citizenship is statutory at key stages 3 & 4 only. Therefore we do not offer a primary citizenship curriculum.