Crick Report

citizenship education be a statutory entitlement in the curriculum and that all schools should be required to show they are fulfilling the obligation that this places upon them;

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. This is to make clear that the entitlement for citizenship education should include the learning of the skills, values, attitudes, understanding and knowledge needed for both community involvement and preparation for involvement as citizens of our parliamentary democracy and the wider political world. Experiential learning, discussion of social and political issues as well as formal, taught learning should be part of this process, both inside and outside the school as appropriate;

public bodies, at local and national level, consider how best to meet their responsibility to citizenship education. Much more should be done by public bodies, such as the two Houses of Parliament and local authorities, to improve or establish arrangements which assist pupils in their citizenship learning, particularly in providing facilities for visits. We urge these bodies to give this matter early attention. They must recognise the influence of the example they set in public life, particularly in their dealings with young people, on pupil’s attitudes to citizenship education and learning;

the implications of our recommendations and other proposed initiatives for the management of teaching time at each key stage, should be given careful attention by QCA in the context of its overall advice on the review of the National Curriculum. We recognise that our recommendations may cause worries among teachers about the commitment of time for a new area of study in the school curriculum. Whilst issues of the broader curriculum lie outside the remit of the group, we would want to stress that our recommendations should not be at the expense of other subjects nor lead to any narrowing of the curriculum;

because of the novelty of the venture and its political sensitivity, there should be a standing Commission on Citizenship Education to monitor its progress and when necessary to recommend amendments to the entitlements, learning outcomes, methods of inspection and teacher training, as appropriate. This Commission should be appointed by the Secretary of State, with a quasi-autonomous relationship to both DfEE and QCA. Its composition should be wider than ourselves, to include cross-party representation. (See section 5.11 for detailed recommendations).

the statutory entitlement is established by setting out specific learning outcomes for each key stage, rather than detailed programmes of study. We advise substituting for the present input and output model of the existing National Curriculum subjects, an output model alone based on tightly defined learning outcomes. This offers flexibility to schools in relation to local conditions and opportunities, and allows the possibility of different approaches to citizenship education, involving differing subject combinations and aspects of the curriculum based on existing good practice in each school;

the learning outcomes should be tightly enough defined so that standards and objectivity can be inspected by OFSTED. This approach by learning outcomes would also avoid objections that a single way of teaching about politics is being imposed, and lessen the dangers of subsequent ministerial interventions on precise content;

there should be a DfEE Order setting up the entitlement and this shall declare that citizenship education in schools and colleges is to include the knowledge, skills and values relevant to the nature and practices of participative democracy; the duties, responsibilities, rights and development of pupils into citizens; and the value to individuals, schools and society of involvement in the local and wider community. This will cover an understanding of democratic practices and institutions both local and national, including the work of parliaments, parties, pressure groups and voluntary bodies, and the relationship of formal political activity to civil society in the context of the United Kingdom and Europe; and an awareness of world affairs and global issues. A basic understanding is required of how taxation and expenditure work together, and of the economic realities of adult life;

the learning outcomes should be based on what should take no more than five per cent of curriculum time across the key stages. This time can be distributed as blocks, modules, a part of existing tutorial time or general studies time, or as a regular weekly period. These are all matters for schools themselves to decide;

schools consider combining elements of citizenship education with other subjects (combinations of citizenship and history have obvious educational merit). This will encourage flexibility in schools, so long as the statutory requirement to deliver citizenship education as an entitlement for all pupils is met. (See section 7 for detailed recommendations);

schools consider the relation of citizenship education to whole school issues including school ethos, organisation and structures. This will be of particular help to schools in relation to combinations with Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), pupils’ development of key skills and the promotion of pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC);

although beyond the age of 16 there is no National Curriculum, the Secretary of State should consider how the proposed entitlement to citizenship education should continue for all students involved in post-16 education and training regardless of their course of study, vocational or academic. (See section 5.5 for detailed recommendations);

the introduction and implementation of the learning outcomes should be phased in over a number of years. So much cannot be achieved at once. Time for preparation is also needed for initial and in-service training, the provision of new and revised materials, and to minimise disruption for schools in existing curriculum arrangements. (See section 5.2 for detailed recommendations);

We recommend that there should be an additional provision through the Standards Fund in the early years of introduction to assist suitable in-service training and support programmes for teachers and schools. These programmes could be run on a regional or area basis and organised by a wide range of training providers and networks including higher education institutions, citizenship bodies, voluntary and community organisations, teacher groups or associations, local education authorities and subject associations.

We recommend that a fund be established either in the DfEE or QCA to which the kind of bodies mentioned in section 5.10.2 may apply for funding to prepare guidance and resource materials for the whole or part of the citizenship curriculum. In every case the funding body shall make sure that there are alternatives available, if necessary contracting or asking for alternative guidance notes or resource materials.

(a) that a Commission on Citizenship Education should be established by the Secretary of State with terms of reference to monitor and scrutinise the progress and problems of implementing citizenship education and with powers to make recommendations both to the Secretary of State and QCA; and, when the committee thinks fit, to publish them; (b) that it should receive annual reports as of right from QCA, OFSTED and the TTA; (c) that it should receive and reply to submissions from other interested bodies, public or voluntary; (d) that it should meet at least twice a year (with provision for extra meetings if a majority of the committee request) and should publish an annual report; (e) that its composition should include cross-party representation from Parliament, teachers, representatives of teachers’ organisations, parent organisations, civic and voluntary service bodies, the media, ethnic and religious groups, and other public figures (as guardians of the public interest), and should include young people in full time education. It should also include observers from DfEE, QCA, OFSTED, and the TTA; (f) that appropriate management and support services be provided.

We recommend that further consideration be given to the establishment of such Community Forums and to a clearer definition of their role and responsibilities in c

(a) that it is extended into post-16 education and training as an entitlement for full-time students; and (b) that the Commission should examine this problem in its earliest business to help ensure that there is a coherent programme with appropriate learning outcomes building upon pre-16 school experience and which takes account of the increasing complexity and flexibility of the world of work and of community activity, and of the range and comprehensiveness of post-16 courses.

(a) all initial teacher training providers in higher education and schools receive a copy of this final report; (b) the Commission on Citizenship Education liaises with the TTA to enable all initial teacher training providers to be informed of and involved in considering the implications of our recommendations for their training provision; (c) the Commission on Citizenship Education works with the TTA to provide support and advice to initial teacher training providers on how to interpret the existing requirements of the National Standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and National Curricula for Initial Teacher Training (4/98) in order that trainees have sufficient opportunities to experience and develop the range of knowledge, understanding and skills needed to teach citizenship effectively; (d) initial teacher training providers should be encouraged to give emphasis to citizenship in relevant courses. The most obvious location is in those subjects, notably History, Geography and English, where possible combinations with ‘elements of citizenship education’ are strongest; (e) the Career Entry Profile can be used to identify any further needs for professional development in newly qualified teachers in relation to the teaching of citizenship. This provides an important bridge between initial teacher training and a teacher’s induction year.

(a) that teachers are encouraged and supported to take responsibility for their own professional development in this area; (b) that sufficient good quality training is made available to enable teachers to be confident in teaching to achieve the learning outcomes for citizenship, and in particular the knowledge and understanding component. There may be a need for specific training for those who will teach citizenship in secondary schools in this respect; (c) that the Commission on Citizenship Education works with the TTA to ensure a good understanding of the responsibilities relating to citizenship that are included in the National Standards for subject leaders, SENCOs and headteachers; (d) that effective use is made of the National Grid for Learning and the Virtual Teachers Centre (VTC) to make available guidance, case studies of good practice and high quality resources; (e) that the national training for headteachers, for example the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH), takes account of this report in order that those aspiring to headship have the appropriate awareness and understanding of citizenship education in schools.

(a) that the DfEE considers increasing the number of places on those initial teacher training courses or programmes currently under the ‘other’ category, which cover aspects of citizenship, eg Social Sciences. This would enable increased recruitment from those with backgrounds in Social Sciences, Politics and Philosophy and so add to the numbers of teachers most appropriately qualified to teach citizenship; (b) that initial teacher training providers give greater emphasis in their selection procedures to applicants’ experience and understanding of citizenship activities, particularly those relating to community involvement. This may provide a foundation which can be built on by tutors and teachers during the training programme.