Citizenship

Curriculum Intent

The Citizenship Department aims to enable students to make their own decisions and to take responsibility for their own lives and communities, by giving them the opportunity to develop an understanding of and take their place in society.  Citizenship is designed to enhance leadership and teamwork skills whilst simultaneously offering enriching and inspiring opportunities for our students.

Citizenship as a subject has never been more relevant for our young people. They are a generation that want to understand how the world is run and play active roles within society.  They want to be part of the positive changes taking place around them and they want to be heard and use their voice for positive action.  This subject is important for developing a strong moral code in students. The knowledge gained in Citizenship links them to the outside world. This opens up path ways and job careers that foster their love of and passions for: British Values, the workings of the justice systems, political systems and democratic systems of government.

At KS3, students are introduced to Citizenship by following the National Curriculum guidelines, which are designed to help students become an active and influential citizen in society. Students follow units of work that: investigate the UK’s membership to multiple world organisations, discover the different rules, responsibilities and laws that we adhere to, and build a strong knowledge base for the democratic system in place in the UK.

At KS4, students follow the Edexcel GCSE Citizenship Studies course. This is structured to enhance the student’s base knowledge from KS3 and put their knowledge into practice by investigating, exploring and drawing their own conclusions on the current situations taking place within the UK and throughout the wider world. Students cover five units at GCSE level; Living together in the UK, Democracy at work in the UK, How the Law works, Power and Influence and Taking Citizenship Action (a group-based project task, designed for students to take action on an issue facing the UK).

All Citizenship lessons are designed to encourage students to develop strong communication and public speaking skills whilst building on their ability to think critically, investigate, examine and evaluate opinions. To ensure the development of these skill levels is maximised in Citizenship, we make use of interactive role and scenario play, group work, debating of documentaries and current affair case studies from the world media and News. The teaching styles, delivery and resources we use in Citizenship are differentiated to support the needs of each student in the classroom. We work with multiple departments to implement common strategies to maximise consistency across the written elements of Citizenship.

In order to apply real life experiences and scenarios to the Citizenship course, we aim to offer many enrichment opportunities that link directly to the content taught. Students will be offered the opportunity to attend the Houses of Parliament, spend time in a charity head office, help in the local community food banks and visit an elderly day centre. Students are also offered the opportunity to visit the United Nations headquarters in New York, as part of the GCSE course. Because part of the Citizenship content is based around the ‘Citizen’s role within the Community’, we invite guest speakers from the community to speak/run workshops with the students.  Examples of guest speakers are members of our local Police force, the local Member of Parliament, Young Offender Officers, and Managers of local charities.  All of these helps foster a strong community spirit and interest in Citizenship based employment.

A Sunbury Manor Citizenship student will leave the school with the ability to express their viewpoints whilst being able to critically evaluate and balance different perspectives. Gaining a Citizenship education highlights that our students do not just exist in society but also take an active interest in their community, country and wider world.  Citizenship knowledge is paramount in transitioning to the next stages of their lives.

The Citizenship Department is made up of two full-time teaching members of staff and is located at the back of the school in a great location for outdoor debating and group action tasks.  Each classroom is well equipped for effective learning. The Citizenship teachers regularly use the ICT suites allowing students to carry out their investigative research tasks. The ICT suites assists the students in their learning, offering opportunities to add case studies to each learning experience. 

Curriculum Overview

 

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

 

Y7

 

Role of a Citizen

Introduction in Citizenship

Running of schools with rules

Applying the rules

Role of a Citizen

Children’s rights

 Convention on the rights of the child

Role of a Citizen

Current affairs investigations

Advocacy

Having a say

Citizens in the community

Identity

Cultural

diversity

Mutual respect

understanding

Barriers to cohesion

Citizens in the community

Living together in the community

Community service

Citizens in the community

Voluntary groups

 

Charities and pressure groups 

 

Y8

 

Law and Justice

Youths in the media

Youth crime prevention

Age of criminal responsibility

 

Law and Justice

Rights and the police

Police power stop and search

Police power interview and charge

Law and Justice

Joint enterprise

Youth court

Sentencing

Young offenders’ institution

Rights and freedoms

Freedom fighters

Power to protest

Conflicting rights

Rights and freedoms

Media influence

Free press

Media in society

 

Rights and freedoms

Right to education

Privilege in the UK

 

Y9

 

World organisations

United Nations

UN Agencies

Human Rights 

World organisations 

The Commonwealth

NATO

UN Development goals

Diverse Britain

Equality and diversity

Discrimination and Equality

Immigration

British values

 

 

Parliamentary Democracy

History and structure of parliament

Political parities

Voting/ Elections

Parliamentary Democracy

Gov spending

Manifesto

Votes at 16

Petitions

Managing Money

Types of accounts

Loans and debt

Pay slips

Budgeting

 

Y10

 

Living in Britain

The changing UK population

Migration and its impacts

Resect and understanding

Identity

 

Living in Britain

Rights, duties and values

Development of Human Rights

Local government

Paying for local services

 

 Democracy at work

Parties and candidates

Elections and voting systems

Forming and organising government

The Westminster parliament

 Democracy at work

Making and shaping a law

The Constitution

Government in parts

Tax and government spending.

Law and Justice

The role of law

Principles and sources of law

Civil and Criminal law

The Justice system in England and Wales

Courts and Tribunals

Law and Justice

Youth Justice

Crime and society

Sentencing and punishment

 

Y11

 

Power and influence

Citizens participation

Groups and organisations

The role of a free press

 

Rights and responsibilities of the media

The use of media for influence

Relations with Europe

Global situations

Citizenship action

Investigating others actions

 

Citizenship action

Carrying out own action

EXAM PREP

EXAM PREP

 

Key Stage 4 Specification

Subject Leader:

Miss Batten

Contact:

bbatten@sunburymanor.surrey.sch.uk

Exam Specification:

Edexcel GCSE Citizenship Studies 1CS0

QN Code:

601/8244/1

Summary of course content

The GCSE is made up of 5 subject components.

  • Living together in the UK
  • Democracy at work in the UK
  • How the law works
  • Taking Citizenship action
  • Power and influence

Assessment

All five components are assessed by students completing two written papers.

What type of activities take place in lessons?

Discussion, debating, group tasks, case studies, investigations, written tasks, public speaking, presentations and practical activities (initial research).  

What type of homework tasks will be set?

Research tasks, revision exercises, tasks designed to re-test students understanding from the lesson content and to refresh subject knowledge.

 

Paper 1    
(*PAPER CODE:1CSO/01) 

Written examination: 1 hour and 45 minutes

50% of the qualification

80 marks

Assessment overview

Section A

Questions are focused on specification Theme A: Living together in the UK

Section B

Questions are focused on specification Theme B: Democracy at work in the UK

Section C

Questions are focused on specification Theme C: Law and justice

Section D

Extended – response questions related to two or more specification Themes A-C

 

Paper 2 
(*PAPER CODE:1CSO/02)

Written examination: 1 hour and 45 minutes

50% of the qualification

80 marks                          

Assessment overview

Section A

Questions are focused on specification Theme E: Citizenship action

Section B

Questions are focused on specification Theme D: Power and influence: Other’s action

Section C

Questions are focused on specification Theme C: Power and influence

 

How will it help me in the future?

On completion of your GCSE Citizenship Studies course, you could progress to further education. Courses at level 3 include:

  • A level Citizenship Studies
  • A level Political Studies
  • BTEC in Citizenship Studies
  • This GCSE will enable you to look for work in a wide range of roles. It is a beneficial qualification for employment in: Social work, law, the police force, journalism, teaching, charity work, politics and much more.  

How will this course build on what I have studied in Year 9?

You are expected to have experience of taking part in discussions about issues in society. You should also have some experience of debating, public speaking and listening. You should have some experience of these from your English and Citizenship lessons.

What skills will I develop?

This course encourages students to develop a range of skills such as :

  • Using and applying knowledge and understanding of citizenship ideas and concepts.
  • Thinking deeply and critically about a wide range of political, social, economic and ethical issues and questions facing society. (Presenting these ideas through class presentation or extended writing tasks)
  • Formulating citizenship enquiries, to explore and research citizenship issues and actions, by analysing and evaluating information and interpreting sources of evidence.