Memorandum submitted by Focus Learning
Trust
1. Focus Learning Trust is keen to participate
positively in this current inquiry because of the perceived benefits
of Citizenship teaching to the community. We believe that it is
currently opportune to address this issue in view of recent racial
strife.
2. OVERVIEW
This submission will argue that Citizenship
teaching can bring about measurable improvements in social problems
in the populace. The Government faces various dilemmas in regard
of:
— Racial and Ethnic integration.
— Securing respect for the rule of
law.
— Promoting participation in the political
process.
The potential for racial hatred to spiral out
of control is clearly demonstrated in recent Cultural clashes.
The challenge is to provide a framework which will allow and encourage
people of diverse ethnic origin, and with diverse cultures and
religious beliefs, to live and work in society with mutual respect
for each other, and for the laws, culture and religons of their
host country. Surely the teaching of citizenship has an important
role to play here, in teaching that it is necessary to be aware
of British history, traditions and beliefs, and respect them,
even if they do not believe them or agree with them. That same
framework can address the other social issues mentioned above.
3. Focus Learning Trust is a registered
Charity with 37 affiliated schools. These schools have a Christian
ethos and are all registered with DfES as Independent Teaching
Establishments. All schools follow the same curricular programme,
which includes Citizenship. For more information please see the
overview of the Brethren and Focus Schools.
4. Arguably, the introduction of Citizenship
to the National Curriculum is the greatest educational initiative
of recent years—certainly of this Labour Government. We
admire the foresight and, clarity of vision of Professor Sir Bernard
Crick and his advisory group.
5. Citizenship teaching and its principles
support the great and majestic truths of Christianity, especially
(inter alia):
— The teaching of responsibility.
— Respect for all people.
— Compassion for the disadvantaged.
— Respect for Government, Power and
Authority.
— Environmental considerations.
6. Thus Citizenship teaching will have had
a measurable effect upon social cohesion, public morals and respect
for the rule of law. In a society that is patently heading for
decadence the promotion of a form of teaching which has moral
and spiritual implications must have a beneficial effect.
7. One practical problem in the delivery
of this subject is, due to its recent advent as a curricular subject,
the lack of qualified teachers. However, it is not a difficult
subject to teach and FLT schools have used teachers of English,
the Humanities and even unqualified persons with reasonable success.
At Focus we hope to introduce both teacher evaluation and teacher
training programmes. Meanwhile, the exam boards provide inset
training in Citizenship.
8. Focus Learning Trust advocates whole
school Citizenship schemes, with three years at Key Stage 3, followed
by two years at Key Stage 4. After GCSE (at Year 11) we suggest
either AS level Citizenship, or Goverment and Politics (an allied
subject) where students in the post 16 groups can proceed via
AS to A level.
9. There is a very strong relationship between
Citizenship education and current debates about identity and Britishness.
The concept of Britishness is much more than having a UK passport;
it involves an understanding of the history and culture of this
nation and adoption of a life style (and possibly a dress code)
that is compatible with it. Tony Blair has made more than one
speech on Britishness and his contribution has been helpful. We
have seen cases of strong, embedded prejudice reversed by such
teaching. Evidence is available of an increase of sympathy and
tolerance in Focus schools, through the teaching of this social
science called Citizenship.
10. The quality of Citizenship education
can (presumably) only be measured by results. The National results
below have been obtained by averaging the results published by
the exam boards and comparing them with Focus schools' results.
The comparison says much for the efficiency of our teachers. The
figures are cumulative percentages.
| No Sat | A*
| A | B | C
| D | E | F
| G |
| All schools | 19,160 | 3.0
| 12.2 | 30.0 | 51.9
| 67.9 | 88.3 | 94.9
| 98.3 |
| Focus schools | 99 | 13.1
| 35.3 | 58.6 | 80.9
| 92.9 | 97.9 | 100.0
| — |
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If one compares the national results with, say history, it
does seem that the quality of Citizenship teaching needs to be
improved.
11. Community involvement has been achieved in various
ways. These include:
— help to other schools by Citizenship presentations;
— raising funds for charities;
— visits by local MP; and
— an MOD Citizenship Day and much more.
12. Finally, Focus Learning Trust is keen to promote
Citizenship both within our own schools and in a wider way, should
opportunity occur.
March 2006
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