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Introduction1 The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence on citizenship education for the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee. In making this response the Agency has drawn on its experience of managing large-scale research and development projects for the post-16 education and training sector, in particular the Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme, which has run for nearly 5 years.[1] 2 The authors of this response would be happy to provide oral evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee to supplement the information below and to arrange for young people who have benefited from post-16 citizenship to speak to the Committee. 3 In this response we have only answered questions where we have relevant experience.
Key points4 Post-16 citizenship education can be highly beneficial to the young people who experience it. We strongly believe that effective and successful post-16 citizenship activity can and should be developed in the full range of post-16 settings for young people at all levels where they learn and train formally and informally. 5 Evidence from the final evaluation of the development programme[2] suggests that for post-16 citizenship programmes and activity to be most successful, there needs to be: g coherent, planned provision g senior management support g a supportive cultural ethos g dedicated and enthusiastic staff with sufficient resources and development opportunities. 6 There are significant staff development challenges across the post-16 settings to ensure that individuals and organisations feel equipped to deliver citizenship programmes effectively. Sufficient curriculum materials and training opportunities are needed to create mainstream provision and build capacity. 7 Post-16 citizenship provides further opportunities to tackle issues of young people's identity and sense of Britishness, as well as ways of promoting community cohesion. Staff need particular support in handling the discussion of these and other potentially controversial issues and the promotion of political literacy. 8 More research and development activity is needed to establish a clearer understanding of how post-16 citizenship learning and progress relates to and develops from national curriculum citizenship. 9 While the benefits of 'active' citizenship[3] are evident, it is also clear that organising opportunities for practical action within large citizenship programmes, for example in FE colleges, poses big challenges. The key to success here is focused support from senior management, targeted resources and trained and enthusiastic citizenship staff.[4] Value and benefits of post-16 citizenship education10 LSDA's experience of running the Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme leads us to support the following conclusion drawn by David Bell, then Chief Inspector of Schools[5]: The development of citizenship post-16 is important: there is no logic in young people studying citizenship as a National Curriculum subject up to age of 16 and then not building on this as they approach the age when they can vote. 11 Similarly we recognise the contribution that post-16 citizenship education can make to the implementation of Every Child Matters and to the statement in the 14-19 White Paper: 'we need to be confident that everyone leaving education is equipped to be an informed, responsible, active citizen'.[6] 12 We believe that significant lessons about the delivery of successful citizenship programmes generally can be learnt from the post-16 pilots. Our experience tells us that the most successful programmes for post-16 citizenship are: g genuinely 'active'[7] g demonstrate clear understanding of what citizenship means g tailored to the needs, skills, interests and experiences of young people. 13 The development programme has shown clear benefits of post-16 citizenship in a number of ways including the following. 14 Young people on citizenship programmes have reported increased self esteem, feelings of empowerment and motivation for learning, all of which come from being genuinely listened to and being able to make a difference to an issue of concern to them.[8] For example, one young person from a youth inclusion project in Oldham, on winning the recent Citizenship Through Music[9] competition organised by LSDA, commented as follows: We chose the theme of this rap because we're trying to show other people that we're not criminals, that we are only human beings, and that we need a little help from other people sometimes in order to get on in life. The competition was like someone finally giving me the opportunity to be noticed and share my views on things. We want to show that although we don't really like exams and stuff that we still have values and care about where we live. We want to show that citizenship can reach all parts of the community. 15 Senior managers have commented on the positive impact of citizenship programmes on the retention and achievement of young people. For example the chief executive of a training provider within the programme said: The benefits of citizenship to our training agency have been immeasurable. Due to the opportunities for personal development, our retention rates have improved significantly. 16 Wider benefits are also evident including: g better-informed young people who are aware of their rights and responsibilities g positive young people who feel they belong g young people who say they are more likely to vote. Responses to specific issues raisedTeachers' and leaders' attitudes to citizenship education: workload implications17 The national evaluation of the development programme reported that staff directly involved in the delivery of post-16 citizenship were generally very positive and largely enthusiastic about citizenship education. It also identified future challenges such as lack of time, the need for resources, motivating new staff to become involved and developing and sustaining programmes. The need for effective staff training and support was seen as crucial.[10] 18 Evidence from the development programme demonstrates an excellent take-up rate of support and training. For example, regional networks designed to share effective practice, national themed training events and active and practical curriculum materials proved popular and were well regarded. 19 Staff working directly with young people have the most immediate impact on the success of citizenship activity. A committed and well-resourced member of staff can make the difference between an effective project and an ineffective one. We believe that the attitudes and support of senior managers are crucial to the success and effectiveness of all post 16 citizenship activity. 20 Benefits for many managers have arisen when young people are g regularly and directly involved as researchers in quality assurance processes g consulted on matters such as the design of new buildings, catering facilities and the appointment of new staff. 21 Other senior managers, however, do not appear to understand fully the value of citizenship education in a post-16 context and accordingly have not given the activity sufficient resources, profile or the wider support it needs. Of considerable help in making the case with senior managers would be further research and development activity. This could be used to help communicate the relationship between young people's involvement in citizenship activity and their retention and achievement in education and training. Initial and in-service training22 Research recently carried out within the development programme about training needs for staff involved in the delivery of post-16 citizenship education indicates a strong demand for a wide range of support. The most frequently requested support is for: g managing the teaching of controversial issues g ideas on how to engage actively with young people in a facilitative way g opportunities to share effective citizenship practice. 23 Guidance on exactly what citizenship education and activity is in post-16 settings is particularly valuable in the early stages of projects. The 2004 QCA guidance document is widely seen as very useful in benchmarking the basics of what is required.[11] It has also been useful in drawing out the differences between Personal, Social and Health Education and citizenship, which is a common cause of confusion among staff who are delivering citizenship education. 24 We have also experienced high demand for specific accredited training. Eight post-16 sector staff participating in the development programme have taken part in the pilot of the DfES certificate of teaching citizenship. Feedback was generally positive although there was a strong call for courses more tailored to the particular needs of post-16 settings as they were designed for 11-16 year olds in schools. 25 Despite their apparent interest in the area of citizenship, beginning teachers do not always clearly understand citizenship issues.[12] This includes those entering the profession via citizenship specialist PGCE courses. The development programme recently developed a pack of appropriate materials and activities.[13] to answer the need for simple clear messages about post-16 citizenship. 26 Evidence from the development programme tells us that young people also need support and training if they are to develop and exercise effectively a range of citizenship skills. For example, young people need training on how to represent the views of others or negotiate with others. Such skills are important when, for instance, young people become actively involved in representative structures (such as college councils or workers forums) or when they are organising and delivering conferences on citizenship issues for other young people. 27 It is evident that where such training has taken place with young people they feel more confident and empowered. At Aylesbury High School, for example, young people organised and recently ran a conference called 'Breaking down barriers' for their peers in the locality. Questions such as 'Can we be both multicultural and inclusive while maintaining our national identity?' and 'How should we respond to the terrorist attacks in London?' were tackled. The young people leading the conference took part in a preparatory training session to learn and practice strategies for managing discussions about controversial issues. The teacher facilitating this training drew on activities and strategies that she had recently experienced at a staff development session run by the LSDA development programme on the same issue.[14] Continuity of citizenship education between primary, 11-16 and post-compulsory stages28 We believe that stronger links between the different stages of citizenship education should be developed. At the same time the distinctive nature of each stage should be recognised. Evidence from the development programme suggests there should be greater efforts by teachers and curriculum managers to relate post-16 citizenship work to learners' previous experience. 29 Best practice in post-16 activity builds on and extends the skills and knowledge of young people that was developed as part of national curriculum citizenship. This is in part achieved through the use of effective base-lining activities during induction into post-16 citizenship work. For example, at Merton College, before a six-week unit of work on political literacy for all 'A' level students, learners were asked to do a quiz which helped diagnose their starting point for the new module. 30 Some providers of education and training have found it difficult to make decisions about the level of activities required for post-16 citizenship programmes.[15] More work needs to be done to define what is required at each stage of citizenship education particularly at the boundary of Key stage four and post-16 citizenship. 31 The work that QCA has already begun on criteria to establish a new A-level in citizenship studies, so that awarding bodies can develop the qualification ready for 2008, will be useful in better defining what is required at each stage of citizenship education. We also welcome the development of a new post-16 active citizenship qualification at Level 3 commissioned by QCA and currently being trialled by the Associated Qualifications Alliance (AQA) examining board with a small number of projects drawn from the LSDA-run development programme. 32 We would strongly urge QCA to consider developing this qualification at Levels 1 and 2 as well as Level 3 because evidence from our pilot projects suggests a strong demand at all levels of qualification. These qualifications should reward 'real' active citizenship and creative activity, which have strong characteristics of the development programme to date. Relationship between citizenship education and current debates about identity and Britishness33 In our view citizenship education has a key role to play in allowing young people to explore in a supported and structured way a wide range of issues concerning identity and diversity. Indeed aspects of these debates are part of the citizenship curriculum for secondary school students. 34 In post-16 education there are further opportunities to revisit important issues. With its emphasis on starting from the interests of young people themselves, a significant number of projects in the development programme have chosen themes such Britishness for recent activity (see below). g At Camden Jobtrain motor mechanics on an Entry to Employment training programme painted 'a diversity car' representing all the different identities of the group following considerable discussion and investigation into the issue of cultural identity. g At 'Youth Action' in Blackburn a group of learners wrote and performed a song on identity called 'Recognition' following on an intergenerational project that involved Asian war veterans. g At Oldham Sixth Form College, students have learned to debate controversial issues that help them reflect on local, national and international issues. Through the tutorial programme students explore their identity as citizens and reflect on the relationship between the various religious and ethnic communities in Oldham. 35 As already stated, many staff find facilitating this work particularly challenging. Such is the demand for activities and ideas to support them, a new pack of curriculum materials on citizenship and identity, with a case-study film on Muslims in Britain today, is currently being produced jointly by the LSDA programme and the Foreign Office. Citizenship education: potential to contribute to community cohesion36 LSDA's experience of running the post-16 citizenship development programme suggests that citizenship education has the potential to contribute powerfully to community cohesion - both within and beyond the learning organisation. 37 The two examples following demonstrate this point and the range of activities that projects have chosen to explore these issues. 38 At Richmond Upon Thames College, a group of students as part of their citizenship programme chose to investigate the self-separation of different ethnic groups across the college's social and catering areas. The group interviewed fellow students about the perceived problem. They made a video of their findings, which they then presented to the senior management with suggestions for improving the overall sense of community within the college. g At Aylward School in Edmonton, as part of an annual intergenerational project with Age Concern local residents were invited in over a series of weeks to discuss a wide range of social issues with all Year 12 students. Issues such as crime, perceptions of young and old in the locality, the environment and fair trade were chosen by the groups for research and discussion. Follow-up work enabled some of the young people to go out into related community placements such as working in an Oxfam shop or 'shadowing' a local magistrate to understand more about their work. An Ofsted inspection of the project praised the young people's critical thinking skills and reported that they were 'engaging positively and to good effect with members of their community'.[16] 39 It is clear from the programme that projects involving young people going into the community or community members visiting young people in their places of learning are beneficial and enjoyable. However activities like these are time consuming to set up and need to be well planned and focused. In the best examples, young people did preparatory work beforehand and were given space and time to reflect on the activity afterwards, allowing the citizenship learning to be drawn out and consolidated. Implementation of active aspects of curriculum, ie community involvement and involvement in the running of the school40 Evidence drawn from the programme shows that there have been genuine attempts by pilot projects to combine knowledge, understanding and skills with practical action. This is in part helped by the greater flexibility possible with post-16 citizenship programmes and the greater maturity of these young people, allowing them more opportunities to lead activities themselves or train others in citizenship issues and skills. 41 We believe that practice and 'active' citizenship learning experiences for those over 16 years old are both desirable and motivating - enabling young people genuinely to feel they are making a difference. 42 It is clear that senior managers and leaders need to understand the implications of involving young people more fully in the decision-making processes of their organisations, the benefits of such actions and the negative and demotivating effects of doing this in a tokenistic way. As already stated in paragraph 6, professional development is particularly key here. All staff involved need to feel confident about supporting young people to go beyond a narrow knowledge approach to the subject to a position where they can 'apply' their learning in 'real' contexts. Appendix: The Post-16 Citizenship Development ProgrammeBackground43 The Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme[17] was established in 2001 following recommendations in the second Crick Report[18] and the government's decision to make citizenship statutory at Key stages 3 and 4. 44 The programme is funded by the DfES and the European Social Fund and managed by LSDA. It aims to trial different ways of providing citizenship learning in all post-16 education and training settings: school sixth forms, sixth form colleges, FE colleges, tertiary colleges, training organisations, workplaces, youth services and voluntary community groups. The programme is probably unique in that staff from these different areas have met regularly at local networks and national training events to share ideas and strategies for the embedding of active citizenship within their curricula and courses. In all, around 150 organisations have been involved. 45 The programme has gained considerable experience of what works, and what does not in the development of active citizenship for 16-19 year olds. Independent evaluation indicates a high level of success in meeting the programme's original aims: the final evaluation report from the National Foundation for Educational Research, Taking post-16 citizenship forward (December 2004) concluded: Overall the Programme has been hugely successful in laying the foundations for the development of post-16 citizenship. Above all it has succeeded in showing how the aspirations of the Crick Group on 16-19 citizenship, that citizenship should be an entitlement for all young people aged 16-19 ... can be developed in practice in a range of post-16 settings and contexts. Active citizenship46 The post-16 citizenship team at LSDA has worked closely with the QCA in developing guidance for post-16 citizenship, which appears on the QCA website (www.qca.org.uk/citizenship/post16). The document states that 'Citizenship education (should equip) young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to play an active, effective part in society as informed, critical citizens who are socially and morally responsible'. It aims to give them the confidence and conviction that they can act with others, have influence and make a difference in their communities (locally, nationally and globally) (p6). 47 It sets out a framework for citizenship learning within which a wide range of activities can take place. The framework includes three essential opportunities that post-16 citizenship work should offer young people. To: g identify, investigate and think critically about citizenship issues, problems or events of concern to them g decide on and take part in follow-up action where appropriate g reflect on, recognise and review their learning. 48 The main forms of provision used for post-16 citizenship programmes and activities are: g representative structures (eg youth councils, unions, forums) g components of citizenship within other courses and qualifications g specially written courses or units for citizenship, sometimes leading to qualifications or awards g group tutorial programmes g voluntary and community activities and campaigns g events (e.g. citizenship conferences) g individual or group research projects. Benefits of citizenship in the words of young project membersTaking responsibility for myself and others - it's given me an opportunity to explore my social and political views - something young people have been deprived of in the past. Youth project member, Worcestershire
Citizenship has exposed me to the feeling of wanting to get up and make a change in society and the wider world - it's invigorating. Sixth form college student, Merton
I think because we did citizenship ... it's given me a
different perspective on college life. Rather than just what the college can do
for me, it's made me think what I can do to contribute to the college
community.
The benefits of citizenship to our training agency have been immeasurable ... due to the opportunities for personal development, our retention levels have improved significantly.' Training provider, north London
[1] For further details of the Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme please see the Appendix on page 9. [2] The full evaluation report of the Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme can be downloaded from www.nfer.ac.uk/research/post16.asp [3] Further information about 'active' citizenship can be found in the Appendix on page 9. [4] See footnote 2. [5] Speech by David Bell about the publication The evaluation of the post 16-citizenship pilot, Ofsted. November 2005. At www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/index.cfm [6] 14-19 White Paper, February 2005 at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/14-19educationandskills/ [7] See footnote 3 [8] For other views of young people from the programme see the Appendix at the back of this response. [9] More details of the music competition and winning song can be found on www.post16citizenship.org [10] Final evaluation report of the development programme - as footnote 2. [11] Copies of the QCA guidance for post-16 citizenship can be downloaded from www.qca.org.uk/citizenship [12] Members of the central team have presented twice at the TDA's Citized national conference which has representatives from all HEI's providing citizenship PCGE programmes [13] Developed for the TDA's Citized initiative. Details of the pack Post-16 Citizenship: a guide for trainee teachers can be found at www.post-16citizenship.org [14] Details of the pack (with training materials), Agree to disagree: citizenship and controversial issues can be found on www.post16citizenship.org [15] This refers to the depth and range of activity appropriate to the age and interests of young people who are 16-19 years old. [16] For details of where to find the Ofsted/ALI evaluation report, see footnote 4. [17] For more information about the programme and the resources and support it offers, see www.post16citzenship.org [18] Citizenship for 16-19 year olds in education and training (2000). The 'second Crick report'. Department for Education and Skills. |