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

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

 

Although every visit can result in learning outcomes for Citizenship, for a complete list of venues and providers who deliver specialist courses and activities for this subject see below:

Tenement House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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The Tenement House provides a rare glimpse into life in Glasgow in the early 20th century, in the faithfully restored four-room house lived in by Miss Agnes Toward for over half a century.

School visits must be booked in advance by telephoning the property. Weekday mornings (March to October) are available for visits by school groups and other large parties.

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Angus Folk Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
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The site provides Insight into rural Scottish life 200 years ago. Housing one of Scotland's finest folk collections, this museum shows exactly how the country's rural workforce used to live. Children can experience a Victorian classroom, see how people lived and worked, and dress up in traditional costumes. Groups will be split into small groups of no more than 10 pupils. We can arrange demonstrations on specific topics such as weaving and linen - please ask for further information.

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Walsingham Abbey Grounds & Shirehall Museum

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
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Shirehall Museum is in a 16th century building that was built as a hostel for important visitors to the Augustinian priory next door. In the 1770s it became Walsingham’s court house and the court room, which was in use until 1971, is still intact. 

The museum tells the stories of Walsingham as a place of pilgrimage from 1061, and of life in the two Norfolk villages of Little and Great Walsingham. In addition to housing the Tourist Information Centre the museum is the start point for guided of walks of Walsingham. 

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Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre

Venue Type: 
Battlefield / Military
Overall Rating: 
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Witness two opposing kings - Robert the Bruce and Edward II - whose tactics in 1314 changed the path of Scotland's history, forever.

Harnessing state-of-the-art 3D technology, visitors can experience medieval combat like never before to learn about this crucial event in Scottish history. To complement your visit to the experience we can also offer your class a workshop which will further investigate the themes of the battle.

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Coldrum Long Barrow

Stunning views from the top of the barrow
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Coldrum Longbarrow is the least-damaged megalithic longbarrow in Kent and takes its name from the now demolished Coldrum Lodge Farm.

It is possible the name 'Coldrum' derived from the old Cornish word 'Galdrum' which means 'place of enchantments'. Owned in perpetuity by us since 1926 in memorial of Benjamin Harrison, an Ightham historian, this 3,000 year-old burial chamber is the only one of those originally present in the Medway Valley to remain virtually intact.

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Rainton Meadows and Joe's Pond

Venue Type: 
Wildlife and Nature
Overall Rating: 
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Rainton Meadows is a nature reserve just to the east of East Rainton, Sunderland.

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Castle Drogo

Explore 'the last castle to be built in England' as the project to save it from certain ruin continues
Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
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The 'last castle to be built in England', set above the Teign Gorge with dramatic views over Dartmoor.

Commissioned by retail tycoon Julius Drewe, and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the castle harks back to a romantic past, while its brilliant design heralds the modern era.

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Powderham Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
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Powderham Castle is located in a unique, picturesque setting just outside Exeter, beside the Exe estuary. Six hundred years of history are contained within the walls of one of England's oldest family homes. Sir Philip Courtenay began building it in 1391 and it has remained in the same family to this day, currently home to the 18th Earl & Countess of Devon. 

The magical setting and convenient location makes it the perfect venue for all manner of events including weddings and business functions. For locals and visitors to Devon it is a 'must see' and with its many attractions.

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Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses

High sandstone ridge and hill fort overlooking dramatic red sandstone rock houses
Venue Type: 
Wildlife and Nature
Overall Rating: 
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Kinver's woodland sandstone ridge offers dramatic views across surrounding counties and miles of heathland walking country. The famous Holy Austin Rock Houses, which were inhabited until the 1950s, are open to visitors at selected times.

Learning

Join us at the Rock Houses for a school visit with a difference. Explore these unique cave dwellings, trying on Victorian costumes, handling real objects and having a go at some of the daily chores such as the laundry and making rag rugs. 

A range of tours and workshop sessions are available to book.

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Thomas Carlyle's Birthplace

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

It was in this house that Thomas Carlyle, the great Scottish social historian and one of Britain's most influential writers and thinkers, was born in 1795.

Many of Carlyle's belongings are still in situ, along with domestic items of the time, providing an authentic glimpse into Victorian life and a fascinating insight into Thomas Carlyle's early years.

School visits can be arranged by contacting Richard Clarkson.

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