Citizenship is a new subject on the curriculum, but in a very real sense it is also a very old one: we have always tried to prepare our students for the rights and responsibilities of adult life. As this life becomes more complex however, there has been recognised a need to give this a new focus. It is not a separate subject, but an important dimension of every subject in the college, reported on in the lower college subject reports.
Citizenship has three elements to it. The first is about acquiring the knowledge and understanding necessary to appreciate how the world around us works. This includes topics such as human rights, law and order, our democratic system of government, resolving conflict fairly and the diverse nature of our country in terms of race, religion and culture.
The second element is about developing the skills to enquire into topical issues, and to express well founded opinions with confidence on paper and in discussion.
The third element is about encouraging active citizenship: having a college where everyone can play their part to help others, where everyone's contribution is appreciated and where we can look outwards to the local community and beyond to see how our students can serve others. Examples of this are the opportunities for Year 8 girls to guide visitors around school, the various roles open to those in KS4, and the two student parliaments,which amongst many other things, help to organise charitable events. Most notably, year 10 has an Active Citizenship Day in which they spend the day doing activities that they have arranged themselves which are of benefit to the local community.
