Memorandum submitted by National Association
of Head Teachers (NAHT)
TERMS OF
REFERENCE
— Teachers' and leaders' attitudes
to citizenship education; workload implications.
— Initial and in-service training.
— Role of local authorities in supporting
school staff.
— Continuity of citizenship education
between primary, 11-16 and post-compulsory stages.
— Quality of citizenship education
across the full range of schools, including faith schools.
— Relationship between citizenship
education and current debates about identity and Britishness.
— Citizenship education's potential
to contribute to community cohesion.
— Implementation of "active"
aspects of curriculum—ie community involvement and involvement
in the running of the school.
— Design of citizenship curriculum
and appropriateness of other DfES guidance.
— Practice in other countries.
NAHT welcomes the opportunity to contribute
to the debate on citizenship education by providing written evidence
to the Committee. We would wish to make some points that are applicable
generally before commenting on the terms of reference specifically.
Citizenship education must not be delivered
through a discrete curriculum but must be seen within the context
of the curriculum in its entirety. It should address the needs
of the citizen of the future. Education should be able to meet
the needs of the population, so that people can use and apply
their knowledge.
Changing values in society need to be taken
into account. Knowledge of child development and personal development
will be essential for all staff so that they know how children
learn, not just how to follow a method. The importance of play
and a first hand experience-based approach must be recognised,
and not just within the early years.
Developing learning dispositions for life, resilience,
communication skills, basic skills, building team and relationship
skills, and philosophical and pedagogical aspects will be key,
as we no longer live in a society where a job is for life. Citizens
need to be aware of society and their place in it.
The development of learning aspirations is central,
enabling pupils to have a concept of their own future and the
place of education within it. A move to co-operative learning
that brings forward individual skills, strengths and knowledge
for the good of the group is needed. We need to invest in education
and family support structures for education, and incorporate the
voice of children and young people.
The Every Child Matters agenda to enable
everyone to make a positive contribution, must result in a curriculum
appropriate to personalised needs coupled with assessment procedures
and processes that take account of this and of the holistic development
of the individual. Assessment must reflect what needs to be assessed
and what has been learnt and not simply judge that which is easily
tested. Assessment must provide reliable information in ways relevant
and supportive to learning. Concern has been expressed that the
assessment system could do more to develop imagination and creativity.
Imagination and creativity are nurtured by valuing efforts. An
unintended outcome of the tests, targets and tables high stakes
agenda is that children and young people can all too easily see
their learning only in terms of meeting examination requirements
or targets, rather than having their learning and achievement
valued in all areas. This can have a significant effect on self-esteem
and motivation.
Recommendation 4.10 from the Final report of
the Advisory Group on Citizenship, chaired by Sir Bernard Crick,
Education for citizenship and the teaching of democracy in
schools, QCA, 1998, stated that: "everyone directly involved
in the education of our children—politicians and civil servants;
community representatives; faith groups; school inspectors and
governors; teacher trainers and teachers themselves; parents and
indeed pupils—be given a clear statement of what is meant
by citizenship education and their central role in it." Although
there are guidelines and programmes of study, the necessary level
of clarity is not always present or apparent in practice.
In the foundation stage learning related to
citizenship is located in several of the Early Learning Goals:
Personal, social and emotional development, Knowledge and understanding
of the world and Creative development, which include learning
about emotional wellbeing, knowing who you are and where you fit
in and feeling good about yourself. Learning at this stage also
covers developing respect for others, social competence and a
positive disposition to learn. These are all key aspects in helping
learners develop the knowledge, skills and understanding in order
to play an effective role in society at local, national and international
levels.
Further discussions could consider if there
is a need to separate citizenship from PSHE within the curriculum
at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Citizenship is much more than
"civics" but it is a significant element within the
personal, social and emotional development of the individual.
If separated, it may not fit in with good primary practice, and
therefore may not be fully implemented. We would suggest that
further clarity and training is needed for all key stages to enable
citizenship to be implemented in a way best suited to individual
schools.
The work being undertaken by the QCA Futures
and reported in the document Subjects consider the challenge
is interesting. It is noticeable that apart from the specific
aspects of individual subjects, outcomes from the individual subject
summits, including citizenship, have common themes:
— The fundamental contribution of each
subject.
— Balance between knowledge base and
skills to use and apply—content is not the be all and end
all.
— Focus on the learner for effective
learning.
— Improve subject links across the
curriculum.
— More flexibility needed.
— Develop critical/thinking skills
and processes.
— More relevant and appropriate assessment.
— Strengthen support for teachers and
CPD.
Work related elements of the curriculum should
have a higher profile and not be undervalued. This is an important
aspect of citizenship. We must value the knowledge that goes with
vocational areas as well as the practical skills. Currently our
most valued qualifications have substantial work related elements
(medicine, law, teaching, veterinary practice) as an integral
part of the course of study.
The Select Committee will be fully aware of
the recommendations for Government, local authorities, training
agencies, school leaders, teachers and other bodies from the following
reports and projects.
Education for citizenship and the teaching
of democracy in schools, QCA, 1998
Personal, social and health education (PSHE)
and citizenship in primary schools, Ofsted subject reports
2003-04, February 2005.
QCA Futures: Subjects consider the challenge,
QCA, 2005.
Annual Report HMCI 2004-05 Personal, social
and health education (PSHE) in primary schools, Ofsted, October
2005.
Annual Report HMCI 2004-05 Citizenship in
secondary schools, Ofsted, October 2005.
Citizenship 2004-05 annual report on curriculum
and assessment, QCA, October 2005.
An evaluation of the post-16 citizenship
pilot 2004-05, Ofsted, October 2005.
Initial Teacher Training for teachers of
citizenship, Ofsted, November 2005.
Education for Democratic Citizenship,
David Bell, HMCI, November 2005.
Citizenship through participation and responsible
action, David Bell, HMCI, November 2005.
The picture is looking generally more positive
but there are key messages and there is still a long way to go.
Citizenship is a vital area in its own right and also for the
holistic development of the individual. There is a recognised
need for specialist teachers with expertise, yet development is
so important that all staff must have a clear understanding. Citizenship
is more than a subject to be taught and learnt. It is integral
to the ethos of schools and learning environments and participation
in daily life. Assessment is an area in need of further development
and recently published materials by QCA for Key Stage 3 have been
welcomed.
TEACHERS' AND
LEADERS' ATTITUDES
TO CITIZENSHIP
EDUCATION; WORKLOAD
IMPLICATIONS
Citizenship is recognised as essential for the
holistic development of the individual, to enable them to take
their place in society. Citizenship feeds into everything else,
with a key role to play in developing ethos and values. It is
essential that citizenship is integral to the curriculum, although
currently implemented through a variety of approaches such as
tutorials, timetabled lessons, cross curricular subject links.
A wide range of activities are included in citizenship education:
school and class councils, cross year golden time, theme days/weeks,
mentoring, tutoring, buddies, pupil voice events. Websites for
children and young people linked to parliaments are a useful tool.
Schools need staff who understand what citizenship
is about and the commitment of a member of staff with expertise.
Leadership and management are central. There are workload implications
with the national focus on English, mathematics and science at
primary level and subject specialism in secondary schools, so
although citizenship is important, it can be seen as another subject
to fit in.
INITIAL AND
IN -SERVICE
TRAINING
There are key issues for Initial Teacher Training
(ITT) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with the dominance
of literacy and numeracy in the primary phase and subject specialism
in the secondary phase. Training and development needs to cover
the curriculum in sufficient depth to enable trainees to fully
understand what is meant by citizenship education in the broadest
sense. These issues are relevant for the primary and secondary
phases, and equally important for non specialist teachers. Assessment
is in need of further development and guidance across all ages
and stages.
The recommendations from the Ofsted Initial
Teacher Training report listed above should also be noted. There
are not enough specialist teachers. We would query how much non-specialists
understand and therefore how much priority is given to this?
ROLE OF
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
IN SUPPORTING
SCHOOL STAFF
The local authority has a very important role
in advising, training and disseminating. They can facilitate and
organise a range of events and projects to co-ordinate and bring
together a variety of relevant agencies and bodies. However, the
current picture is uneven. Some local authorities have facilitated,
for example, pupil voice conferences and links with other initiatives,
Healthy Schools, Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL).
Local authorities are ideally placed for the role of bringing
together bodies for CPD. Independent training is available but
it is very expensive.
CONTINUITY OF
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
BETWEEN PRIMARY,
11-16 AND POST-COMPULSORY
STAGES
Transition issues are particularly relevant.
Information on citizenship is not always included in transfer
information as it is non-statutory in the primary phase and it
is not necessarily distinguished from PSHE. For older students,
prior learning is not always fully taken into account to enable
appropriate progression. There are obvious links here to teachers'
lack of clarity about what should be taught and how. This needs
to be addressed so that relevant information can be included at
transition.
QUALITY OF
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
ACROSS THE
FULL RANGE
OF SCHOOLS,
INCLUDING FAITH
SCHOOLS
The most recent Ofsted reports listed above
highlight a range of issues and recommendations nationally, at
local authority level and for schools. The quality of education
is uneven. In primary schools citizenship is a strand within PSHE,
where there is little unsatisfactory achievement. However despite
some good provision of citizenship education, many teachers are
still unclear about what should be taught and how. In order to
improve citizenship education, more guidance would be helpful
to make it clear what is meant by citizenship and what should
be covered. This would better prepare for progression to secondary
school and citizenship as a statutory subject. Citizenship in
primary schools is not always distinguished from PSHE so some
data is limited in its use.
In the secondary sector, reports note improvements
in pupils' achievement, the quality of teaching and subject leadership
and management. Citizenship is firmly established in the curriculum
but many challenges remain. Successful teaching has key threads
and a common core, planning, participation programmes, commitment,
leadership and management, citizenship as central to the ethos
of the institution and good use of funding.
Citizenship education should be equally valued
by faith schools, which should welcome and embrace the agenda.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
AND CURRENT
DEBATES ABOUT
IDENTITY AND
BRITISHNESS
We value what the diversity of race and culture
brings to British society and do not see Britishness as a specific
concept to be imposed on citizens. Citizenship education should
reflect this. If we want to identify Britishness, we would need
to firstly define what it means. There is a danger that this could
be divisive and has dimensions of social engineering. Is the aim
to promote being a good citizen or being British?
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION'S
POTENTIAL TO
CONTRIBUTE TO
COMMUNITY COHESION
Citizenship education is key to the Every
Child Matters agenda, to making a positive contribution to
the community. Children have less independence than earlier generations
and need to be out in the community, to see it for themselves,
to care about and be involved with it. There is a need to promote
self-esteem. There is an economic imperative for youngsters to
contribute and develop dispositions for personal development in
order to contribute to the community and make informed choices.
If youngsters have poverty of aspiration, they are vulnerable
in the economic market, both European and global.
IMPLEMENTATION OF
"ACTIVE" ASPECTS
OF CURRICULUM—IE
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
AND INVOLVEMENT
IN THE
RUNNING OF
THE SCHOOL
Finding sufficient resources and time in the
curriculum in order to involve youngsters in decision making and
the community can be challenging. Schools and their councils cover
a range of areas and issues and have developed programmes for
mentoring, tutoring, buddy systems, specific events, work in the
community, civic and political dimensions, to name but a few.
DESIGN OF
CITIZENSHIP CURRICULUM
AND APPROPRIATENESS
OF OTHER
DFES GUIDANCE
We do need to ask the question whether we have
a curriculum and subsequent assessment system appropriate for
the needs of children and young people. The "Futures"
work being undertaken by QCA is very interesting, listed above.
Citizenship must be integral not a "bolt on" and is
an essential part of the ethos of the learning environment. It
is far more than a subject. Schools want more support on assessing
and developing opportunities for community-based activities.
PRACTICE IN
OTHER COUNTRIES
Practice in other countries, home nations, European
and world wide is noted, but what is appropriate in other situations
is not always applicable, relevant or easy to transfer, as it
sits within the context of that country.
March 2006
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