Citizenship

KS 3
About the course
In Year 7, 8 and 9 Citizenship is taught in one timetabled lesson per week.  It is taught in accordance to National Curriculum guidelines to develop the knowledge and skills students need to be successful in Citizenship at GCSE level, and also to be able to participate in politics and society as young people and adults.

What they will learn

Topics taught include: 

• Democracy and other forms of government
• Human Rights
• British Society
• The Media
• British Government
• Political Parties
• The United Nation

There is a strong focus on culture, diversity and society throughout the study of these different topics.  Students are taught to research issues, to use evidence to support their opinions and to look at both sides of debates.

How it will be assessed
Students are assessed each half term by a range of different tasks designed to develop both their research and communication skills.  There is a strong emphasis on communication and literacy and by Year 9 students are expected to be able to write reasoned arguments in well structured essays.

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KS 4
About the course
All students complete the short course GCSE (topics are begun in Year 9).  Students follow the Edexcel short course GCSE syllabus, which builds on the knowledge and skills they bring from the Key Stage 3 programmes of study.  This means they are examined both on their understanding of key concepts such as democracy, justice and human rights and on their skills in communication, presentation and advocacy.

What they will learn

Topics include: 

• Community and Multiculturalism
• Human Rights
• Discrimination
• The Justice System
• British Politics
• The Media
• The Economy

How it will be assessed
Students are examined internally in Year 9, 10 and 11.  Citizenship is taught in one timetabled lesson per week and revision workshops are offered after school at different points in the year.  After school sessions to help with coursework are also offered for those who need additional help.

All external assessments take place in Year 11:
Unit 2: Participating in Society (coursework) is worth 60% and is taught from September to February in Year 10. This involves students planning an active citizenship project and evaluating it, they also write it up in a controlled assessment which is internally moderated and externally examined.

Unit 1: Citizenship Today is examined at the end of Year 11 (June) and consists of three themes:
Theme 1: Rights and responsibilities

Theme 2: Power, politics and the media

Theme 3: The global community

In addition to the external exams, students are assessed regularly and their progress through the course is carefully monitored.  Each assessment is designed to build their skills in tackling the different styles of exam questions to ensure that they enter the exam room with confidences fit into.

Exam board
EDEXCEL

Future Career Paths in subject
Education
A level Law, A level Critical Thinking.

Employment
Law and Politics.

Head of Department:
Mr Goodfellow

Email:
goodfellowb@cfbs.islington.sch.uk