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ACT : Association of Citizenship Teaching
Supporting Practioners and Facilitating Citizenship in Schools
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ACT is the professional subject association for those involved in citizenship education. This website offers resources and information to help you deliver excellent citizenship education
ACT National Conference 30th June 2010
This is an active CPD day called:
Citizenship Established?
Ofsted's report on Citizenship education
Last month Ofsted published their latest report on Citizenship education: Citizenship Established? Ofsted’s previous report ‘Towards Consensus?’ (2006) painted a picture of a subject at the ‘developing’ stage, only grade three on the four point scale of the ‘Citizenship self evaluation tool’*. ‘Citizenship Established?’ (Ofsted, 2010) leaves the reader with a question mark- but if the answer is yes, then citizenship is moving into grade 2 territory.
All the latest citizenship news & info
report from Citizenship seminar online
10 March 2010
The 2009 Nuffield-ACT seminar on Citizenship education has been published online. The seminar, looking at the contribution to schools, communities and individuals by Citizenship education includes commentary from the Lib Dem and Tory House of Lords spokespersons-both of who took part in the seminar.
Spring Day for Europe
08 March 2010
The aim of Spring Day for Europe 2010 is to “organise activities that help students think about Europe and express their views. The Spring Day web portal provides teachers with a rich package of supporting material that can easily be adapted to lessons. Schools can organise one or more Spring Day events and share their experiences through the portal.
Citizenship curriculum programmes on BBC
04 March 2010
Democracy in Action is a series of programmes made for BBC Learning, which aims to bring politics to life for younger audiences and explain complex issues in an engaging way. The programmes use teenage contributors wherever possible and much of the content has been filmed in the style of a "fly on the wall" documentary.
> read through MORE NEWS ITEMS
Forthcoming Conferences & Events
11 Mar 10
New Secondary Curriculum Regional Cross Curricular Conferences
Wooton House, Dorking
13 Mar 10
Big Saturday for South/South East and North East Region
various-see Regional pages
16 Mar 10
2. Time for Change
Station Hotel, Newcastle
17 Mar 10
New Secondary Curriculum Regional Cross Curricular Conference, London
London, Marriott Maida Vale
19 Mar 10
Youth Producing Change
The Ritzy, Brixton Oval, London
Ask the Experts - Your Questions Answered
Featured Question :-
A teacher recently said to me "My head teacher is a Citizenship education sceptic. What can I do to convince them that Citizenship is about school improvement and not a burden on teachers, the timetable or pupils?"
Millicent Scott
Lets start with the facts; Citizenship is a statutory subject at KS3 and 4, and may get a subject inspection by Ofsted. Student voice is part of a school’s self-evaluation form. Now go on to share the information below in an SLT or Governors meeting.
At the heart of new initiatives in education lies Citizenship; just look at the Big Picture diagram from QCA. The new secondary curriculum aims to develop young people who are successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
Citizenship builds Personal, Learning & Thinking Skills. Citizenship is an Opening Minds competency. Student voice is at the heart of Personalised Learning.
Citizenship can contribute to the major school policies, for example the Duty to Promote Community Cohesion. Making a positive contribution is central to Every Child Matters.
It is s a subject in its own right. There has been a short course Citizenship Studies GCSE since 2002, AS & A levels from 2008, and there will be a full course GCSE from 2009.
Citizenship pedagogy builds motivation and engagement and happiness! Research shows that students feel most ‘intellectually engaged’ when they have a say in their learning and do things that had an impact on the real world. The ‘World Expert on Happiness’ says happiness is “a sense of participation in determining the content of life.” It also supports human rights and democracy: “All children have the right to a say in all decisions that affect them.” so says Article 12, UN Convention on Rights of the Child.
It improves standards. A study of 12 ‘participative schools’, concluded that they achieved higher GCSE results and lower numbers of exclusion. A school in south east London achieved a 33% improvement in GCSE results after adopting Citizenship as a whole school initiative.
Citizenship’s Role is central in in transforming education. It is a subject which demands specialist teachers like all other subjects. It has a pedagogy charactised by student voice and action and it is more than a subject with the potential to transform the school ethos.
Chris Waller and Pete Pattisson, ACT
