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ACT : Association of Citizenship Teaching
Supporting Practioners and Facilitating Citizenship in Schools
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ACT is the professional subject association for those involved in citizenship education. This website offers resources and information to help you deliver excellent citizenship education
100 years and counting
Helping people into work since 1910
One hundred years ago an act of parliament was passed that paved the way for Government to bring together people looking for work and employers looking for workers. This was the Labour Exchange, the predecessor of Jobcentre Plus. ACT has developed an exciting learning activity to explore one hundred years of helping people into work since 1910.
All the latest citizenship news & info
QCDA produce new-look National Curriculum website
08 February 2010
The new-look National Curriculum website has gone live.This week sees the launch of the National Curriculum website, which now includes the new primary curriculum and a range of tools and information to support it, including:
an interactive video tour of the site's highlights
a short introductory guide to the new primary curriculum
a tool to help teachers design and plan their own curriculum
an interactive tool which allows teachers to view selected curriculum areas side-by-side
new case studies which show how schools have used their curriculum to make real improvements in outcomes for their learners
See all of this at QCDA but explore more below about the new website.
Right Here. Right Now.
05 February 2010
Amnesty's new key resource books are designed to provide teachers with comprehensive pathways through the Citizenship curricula.
What are you doing about the elections?
04 February 2010
In April 2005, a school in the North of England ran a mock general election. Citizenship classes worked on the election processes and nominated their own candidates for the election. Parliamentary candidates from Labour, the Lib Dens and the Conservatives were invited into school to talk about campaigning and the election process. When some parents and the local British National Party (BNP) candidate himself complained that the BNP had not been invited, the head was forced to answer claims that she was being undemocratic.
> read through MORE NEWS ITEMS
Forthcoming Conferences & Events
01 Feb 10
Effective Citizenship Education and its Contribution to Community Cohesion
The Holiday Inn London - Bloomsbury
01 Feb 10 - 28 Feb 10
LGBT History Month
Events all over the country
04 Feb 10
FREE INTERACTIVE EVENT FOR 14 –19 YEAR OLDS ON POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND CITIZENSHIP
Opera House Manchester
06 Feb 10
School's Out Annual Conference
Drill Hall, London
06 Feb 10
North East CPD Certificate Launch
The Town Hall, Durham.
Ask the Experts - Your Questions Answered
Featured Question :-
A teacher recently said to me "My head teacher is a Citizenship education sceptic. What can I do to convince them that Citizenship is about school improvement and not a burden on teachers, the timetable or pupils?"
Millicent Scott
Lets start with the facts; Citizenship is a statutory subject at KS3 and 4, and may get a subject inspection by Ofsted. Student voice is part of a school’s self-evaluation form. Now go on to share the information below in an SLT or Governors meeting.
At the heart of new initiatives in education lies Citizenship; just look at the Big Picture diagram from QCA. The new secondary curriculum aims to develop young people who are successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
Citizenship builds Personal, Learning & Thinking Skills. Citizenship is an Opening Minds competency. Student voice is at the heart of Personalised Learning.
Citizenship can contribute to the major school policies, for example the Duty to Promote Community Cohesion. Making a positive contribution is central to Every Child Matters.
It is s a subject in its own right. There has been a short course Citizenship Studies GCSE since 2002, AS & A levels from 2008, and there will be a full course GCSE from 2009.
Citizenship pedagogy builds motivation and engagement and happiness! Research shows that students feel most ‘intellectually engaged’ when they have a say in their learning and do things that had an impact on the real world. The ‘World Expert on Happiness’ says happiness is “a sense of participation in determining the content of life.” It also supports human rights and democracy: “All children have the right to a say in all decisions that affect them.” so says Article 12, UN Convention on Rights of the Child.
It improves standards. A study of 12 ‘participative schools’, concluded that they achieved higher GCSE results and lower numbers of exclusion. A school in south east London achieved a 33% improvement in GCSE results after adopting Citizenship as a whole school initiative.
Citizenship’s Role is central in in transforming education. It is a subject which demands specialist teachers like all other subjects. It has a pedagogy charactised by student voice and action and it is more than a subject with the potential to transform the school ethos.
Chris Waller and Pete Pattisson, ACT
