Citizenship Studies
Curriculum Intent
Citizenship-Studies-Curriculum-Intent.pdf
Specification
Citizenship-Studies-Specification.pdf
Learning Journeys
Year-10-Citizenship-Studies.pdf
Year-11-Citizenship-Studies.pdf
Course Overview:
Citizenship Studies helps students understand their role as active citizens in society, exploring topics such as democracy, government, and human rights. The course covers key areas like law, politics, the media, and how communities function, encouraging critical thinking and debate.
Students learn about the responsibilities of individuals, how to engage with social issues, and how to participate in local and global matters, empowering them to make informed decisions and contribute positively to society. Through this course, they develop skills in communication, research, and evaluation, preparing them for future civic participation.
Lessons takes place 5 times a fortnight
Below is a breakdown of what students will study over the course:
Theme A: Living together in the UK
Students are introduced to the idea that the UK is a diverse society of many different communities and groups who live together. They explore the nature of identity and multiple identities as well as how and why communities are changing. They consider the democratic rights, freedoms and values that we share, including human rights and the challenge of balancing competing rights.
Theme B: Democracy at work in the UK
Students explore the idea of representative, parliamentary democracy in the UK including the voting and electoral system, the roles and responsibilities of MPs and how government is organised and kept in check. They will also consider the role of parliament in making and shaping law; the government’s role in managing public money; and how power is organised across the constituent parts of the UK.
Theme C: Law and Justice
Students explore why we need laws and how law affects us in our everyday lives. They consider how the justice system in England and Wales works in practice including the roles and power of the police and the courts. They also learn about the distinctive features of the criminal, civil and youth justice systems and some of the different approaches to settling disputes, addressing inequality, changing behaviour and tackling crime in society.
Theme D: Power and Influence
In this section students revisit key ideas about democracy, rights and responsibilities in Themes A–C as they explore ideas about power. In particular they consider power in relation to the ways in which citizens, governments and the media exercise power and influence in a range of local to global situations. They contrast representative democracy in the UK with a non-democratic political system and the limits this place on the rights and freedoms of citizens.
Theme E: Taking Citizenship Action
Citizenship action may be defined as a planned course of informed action to address a citizenship issue or question of concern and aimed at delivering a benefit or change for a particular community or wider society. Taking citizenship action in a real out-of-classroom context allows students to apply citizenship knowledge, understanding and skills, and to gain different citizenship insights and appreciate different perspectives on how we live together and make decisions in society. It requires them to practise a range of citizenship skills including research and enquiry, interpretation of evidence, including primary and secondary sources, planning, collaboration, problem solving, advocacy, campaigning and evaluation.
You can find out more information about the course by following the link below:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/citizenship-studies
Mr. J. Lewis
Head of Personal Development and Citizenship
