Memorandum submitted by CitizED
CitizED is an organisation funded by the Training
and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). It works collaboratively,
within and beyond higher education, for teacher education in England.
CitizED is organised principally around teacher
education in primary, secondary, cross curricular, post-16 and
community involvement contexts with outputs in the form of conferences,
seminars, workshops, research papers and practical resources for
teaching. Work takes place in initial teacher education (with
the 13 providers of specialist citizenship programmes) as well
as continuing professional development with, for example, leadership
in the roll out of the handbook for citizenship co-ordinators
in schools and in-service education for newly qualified citizenship
teachers. CitizED is promoting a number of research initiatives
including work on effective teaching and learning in citizenship
education. An international journal ("Citizenship Teaching
and Learning") was launched by CitizED in July 2005. CitizED
is working in partnership with a wide variety of individuals and
organisations including the Association for Citizenship Teaching
(ACT). Further details can be found on the CitizED web site (www.citized.info).
1. CITIZENSHIP
EDUCATION IS
A VITALLY
IMPORTANT PART
OF TEACHER
EDUCATION (INITIAL
AND CONTINUING
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
(a) We are pleased that Lord Adonis has said
that: a "key development has been the introduction of citizenship
education into schools three years ago. I know there have been
the inevitable teething problems, but standing back, it is the
progress rather than the problems which is most striking"
(speech at Millfields Community School, Hackney, 7 December 2005).
(b) We are pleased that David Bell's comments
in the Roscoe lecture (2 November 2005) commented positively about
the quality of citizenship teachers produced by HE institutions:
"These courses continue to be at the sharp end of citizenship
development, producing new teachers with a fascinating range of
backgrounds and a commitment to the development of citizenship
as a National Curriculum subject. These new teachers—alongside
those already in service who have chosen to undertake the pilot
professional development courses in citizenship sponsored by the
DfES—are providing much needed expertise in an area of the
curriculum that is sometimes misunderstood and undervalued by
head teachers and senior managers in schools. The great majority
of these newly qualified citizenship teachers are finding suitable
posts in schools, and because of their expertise and commitment
many are quickly gaining promotion".
(c) We are pleased that "The report
of Power: an independent enquiry into Britain's democracy"
(http://www.powerinquiry.org/report/index.php) refers frequently
to the significance of education and especially the role of teacher
training (see, for example pp 204-5).
(d) We note that programmes of initial teacher
education for citizenship are oversubscribed and feel that they
could be expanded.
(e) We feel that citizED is having a significant
impact on practice with the production of quality resources that
are widely respected and widely used in this country and internationally.
Trainers are now well supported. Professor Crick has commented
favourably on our work. There have been more than 106,000 individual
downloads of resources since October 2002 (currently 7,500 per
month); over 330,000 page views (currently over 20,000 per month);
315 UK universities, colleges and other HE institutions are visitors;
306 USA and 135 other international HE institutions are visitors;
leading Internet search firm Google puts www.citized.info as 4th
most important website for "citizenship education" and
the most important for "citizenship teacher education".
(f) We suggest that citizenship education
is already valuable and worthwhile and that there are opportunities
to be regarded as the international leader in this field. We have
clear evidence that key individuals and agencies in the USA, Canada,
Europe, Asia and Australia are keen to follow our progress and
develop their own work as a result.
2. WE WISH
TO BRING
TO THE
ATTENTION OF
THE COMMITTEE
A NUMBER
OF ISSUES
AND CHALLENGES
IN TEACHER
EDUCATION/TRAINING
2.1 Initial teacher education in citizenship
(a) Numbers allocated to initial teacher
education in citizenship are currently too few. Training courses
began in September 2001 with approximately 241 places allocated
by the DfES. Unfortunately, there was initial confusion about
the allocation of places. Some HEIs had places that consisted
of citizenship in combination with another subject—often
with citizenship consisting of 20% of the training. Ofsted/TTA
recognised this (at a late stage) and removed the joint courses
over two years. As a result principally of this confusion over
the last four years the number of students completing full citizenship
courses has been well below 200 per year.
(b) Numbers allocated to initial teacher
education in citizenship are to be cut. We are concerned that
the 241 places that notionally exist in the system are to be cut
over the next three years in line with all other secondary subjects.
This does not seem a sensible way to develop a new subject.
(c) Regional imbalance. The TTA/TDA have
attempted to allocate students on a regional basis but have been
unsuccessful. For example, there are initial teacher education
programmes in citizenship in Plymouth, Exeter and Bristol which
serve well the South West, but in some major cities and urban
areas such as Liverpool and Manchester there is an absence of
provision. There are no specialist initial teacher education programmes
in the North East or North West or in Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire,
and many other counties. This weakness has occurred due to the
small total number of places allocated for initial teacher education
in citizenship.
(d) Trainees not always accepting posts in
schools to teach citizenship. Some trainees who complete a programme
of initial teacher education find a post in school to teach another
subject. This is principally due to the lack of development of
citizenship education in schools relative to the work that can
take place in initial teacher training programmes. (School placements
in programmes of initial teacher education are precisely co-ordinated
for the purpose of citizenship to ensure effective training).
We believe that the actual number of citizenship teachers trained
and teaching citizenship in schools is less than half what the
DfES have allocated to be trained over the last four years.
(e) Instability due to high staff turnover.
The DfES/QCA/TTA/TDA/LSDA have personnel addressing citizenship
education, but there have been many staff changes and consequently
a sense of instability. We do not seem to have a coherent national
policy on training citizenship teachers.
(f) Marginalisation of citizenship education
in Primary ITE. The positive remarks about citizenship education
for the secondary sector cannot be echoed for primary. The majority
of primary trainees now go through PGCE routes. PGCE courses for
primary trainees are forced to marginalise citizenship education,
or make only token gestures, due to the pressure on their time.
The non statutory nature of citizenship education and the fact
that it is combined in the Guidance with PSHE only exacerbates
this situation. The result is that very few primary trainees are
adequately equipped to take on citizenship teaching when they
qualify. Despite some good practice in primary schools, the absence
of training for the new generation of primary teachers means that
opportunities to develop citizenship education in schools through
new blood are missed, and transition into the secondary sector
is not supported.
2.2 Continuing professional development (CPD)
in citizenship education
(a) Use by schools of resources for CPD in
citizenship education. We would remind the Committee that almost
£17 million was allocated for citizenship education to schools
by the Standards Fund in the run up to the introduction of citizenship.
We are unclear about whether this money was actually spent on
citizenship education courses to train teachers in citizenship.
It was not ring fenced and there were very few citizenship courses
available.
(b) Limited resource available for CPD. CitizED
and ACT (Association for Citizenship Teaching) were pleased to
be allocated £35,000 in total by the DfES to launch the DfES
CPD Handbook on citizenship in each of the nine regions of England
and provide CPD in citizenship over two sessions for teachers
of citizenship. But we note that the resourcing of this has been
minimal and relies on the good will of many members of citizED.
(c) Undeveloped strategy for developing national
CPD. We welcome the recent announcement that the DfES will fund
1,200 teachers on a CPD citizenship course costing nearly £600,000
over two years. However, we see no strategy for delivering such
courses. Nor do we see a clear policy that will ensure the best
use of expertise within and beyond higher education so that there
can be fruitful collaboration with government departments and
agencies and NGOs.
(d) Lack of CPD for primary teachers. Local
authority and university-led provision is virtually non-existent
for primary teachers in state schools.
2.3 Strategic development
(a) Medium term strategy needed. We believe
there should be an explicit five-year strategy on citizenship
education to give stability to work in this area. The strategy
would cover issues related to allocation of places, links between
initial teacher education and continuing professional development
and ways of developing collaboration between key networks and
groups within and beyond higher education, government departments
and agencies and NGOs. This should apply to all phases of education
from early years through to compulsory and post compulsory contexts.
(b) Safeguard the existing higher education
citizenship education network. We are concerned that citizED has
not been earmarked for further support from the TDA because citizenship,
we are told, is no longer a major priority of government.
2.4 Necessary investigations and initiatives
We suggest that there are opportunities for
work to take place that will develop good practice. We draw attention
to a number of examples of work that we currently regard as of
high priority (and to be applied in all phases of education from
early years through to post compulsory contexts):
(a) Explore and clarify the nature of subject
knowledge for teaching citizenship. This will help the process
of selection and recruitment to programmes of teacher education
as well as ensuring that tutors can assist the development of
trainees' and teachers' understandings and practices with more
skill than sometimes occurs currently.
(b) Develop teachers' and tutors' understanding
of assessment. This will be beneficial for tutors who are training
teachers (initial and CPD), as well as for those who assess school
students.
(c) Develop teachers' roles in promoting
democratic understanding and practice appropriate for a diverse
society. Schools are currently seeking to develop their capacity
to go beyond traditional teaching methods. Imaginative and innovative
approaches to citizenship are necessary including the development
of capacities for appropriate classroom and school ethos and in
making best use of contact with others in communities beyond the
school.
(d) Emphasise international dimensions. This
should be done to ensure an appropriate status for citizenship
education and thus assist with the process of implementation.
It will also ensure that we will develop citizenship that is appropriate
within a nation state and elsewhere. Notions of global citizenship
are important within and beyond England.
2.5 Statement on citizenship education
We wish to draw to the attention of the Committee
a statement that has been developed by the steering committee
of citizED in collaboration with a range of interested individuals
and agencies. We offer this statement as a way of contributing
constructively to the current review of Key Stage 3 of the National
Curriculum and helping to ensure that citizenship is seen as something
that is wide ranging but nevertheless coherent and focussed.
CITIZED STATEMENT
Citizens in a democratic society have a fundamental
responsibility to engage in public life. Teachers and students
have an obligation to promote equality, justice, respect for others
and democratic participation. These ideals should be integral
to cultures of educational institutions and embedded within and
beyond the curriculum beginning with the youngest age group and
continuing throughout, and after, compulsory phases. Education
for democratic citizenship is therefore a core purpose of teaching
and learning within and beyond schools.
Citizenship education has a strong conceptual
core. Subject knowledge for teaching is increasingly defined and
distinctive and includes rights and responsibilities, government
and democracy, identities and communities at local, national and
global levels.
A curriculum for citizenship will be enquiry
based, with students making connections between their own and
others' experiences, learning to think critically about society
and take action for social justice. Educational institutions where
this is achieved embody learning for citizenship in their organisational
leadership and in their self-evaluation. Citizenship education
enhances the professional values and practices of teachers and
others.
Citizenship education requires students to consider
public and individual issues of an ethical and political nature.
These issues will be topical and often controversial. Effective
education for citizenship includes the integration of conceptual
understanding and the skills for civic engagement.
Citizenship education requires an integrated
approach to assessment which incorporates evidence about knowledge,
skills and understanding, values, dispositions and social action.
The overall assessment must integrate learners' self-evaluations
and reflections which take account of others' observations and
the teachers' evaluations of pupils.
Citizenship education is drawn from a shared
values framework and informs a wider educational strategy and
ethos.
Specialist citizenship teachers thus possess
distinctive knowledge, skills and dispositions. They have a strong
sense of the specific potential of their work and through purposeful
teaching, learning and assessment engage and empower young people.
March 2006
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