Headline Information
Citizenship students take action to change the world!
As part of the short course, students campaign to change something they feel passionately about. Last year saw different groups take on issues such as The Sun's portrayal of women in light of the equality act and the rise in tuition fees (two local MPs came to listen to presentations, and agreed that they would ask for the threshold of repayment to be lifted to £25,000 and for Sex & Relationship education to be made a compulsory subject for all secondary school students). Students work in groups to develop the core skills that employers and universities are looking for, while acting as responsible citizens.
As part of the International Day of Peace celebrations, the full course students went to the O2 Arena to watch the annual celebrations, organised by the charity Peace One Day. The students had a fantastic time watching performers such as Afro-reggae, Cat Stevens, Newton Faulkner, Razorlight and Eliza Doolittle. The highlight of the evening was the dance group Flawless, who accompanied the Royal Ballet Company on stage. Students are already thinking about what we can do to contribute to next year’s International Day of Peace, with events to fulfil our responsibility to a global ceasefire.
Information About the Department
- All students sit the short course in Citizenship, which consists of a one-hour exam and a controlled assessment which campaigns to change the local, national or international stage in some way. If the students wish to extend this qualification to a full course, they can do by opting for the full course in Citizenship which extends the course with an extra examination and an event that the students have to organise which is aimed at raising awareness of an issue related to Citizenship (such as tackling discrimination).
- Citizenship education is not only about knowledge of the world and how it works, but the skills and action needed to become an active member of society.
- Citizenship prides itself in being one of the most relevant subjects. Not only does it teach students about the issues affecting us all, but it also teaches them what they can do about things they don't like.
- We are lucky to have four Citizenship specialist teachers in the department who are able to lead on different areas due to their specialisms. We have strong links with other departments and often join forces to run events (such as the debating club, the ECO club or the BBC school report, which we have run for the last two years).
Staffing
Paul Forster – Head of Citizenship and Religious Studies Departments (from Jan 2012)
Philippa Lockhart - Head of Year 11 and Teacher of Citizenship
Elvett Phipps – Teacher of Law, Citizenship and Religious Studies
Stuart Kemp – Teacher of Citizenship and Religious Studies
Robin Rice – Assistant head and Teacher of Religious Studies
Irem Hussain – Teacher of Religious Studies and Citizenship
Mara Lane Lloyd – Teacher of Law, Religious Studies and Citizenship
Ruth Bissell – Head of History
John Tierney – Teacher of History Department
Danielle Morgan – Head of Geography Department
Kiran Parmar – Teacher of Geography and Head of Student Voice
