Citizenship Education in Partnership with the Wider Community

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Citizenship Education in Partnership with the
Wider Community

• Experiences from York
• Bernie.flanagan_at_york.gov.uk

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Experiences from York

• Wider education than schools
• Democracy through Citizenship project
• Childrens Trust, York Linking Health,
  Education and Social Care
• Sure Start working with under 5s
• Childrens Society Disabled Young People
• Empowering the average child and the
  marginalised

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Links between Schools and Communities

• Legislative Environment
• UN Convention on Rights of the Child
• Article 12The right to say what you think should
  happen when adults are making decisions that
  affect you, and to have your opinions taken into
  account. Adopted by City of York Council

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Active Citizenship

• Working definition
• Young people, working within the context of and
  hoping to learn about, and develop further - a
  pluralistic democracy
• having their say
• being involved in their community
• making things happen
• making decisions about their community be that
  their class, school, neighbourhood, city or
  country
• becoming involved in the political process.
• Politically Active without the Vote?

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Active Citizenship

• Impact on Community
• Influence on Community
• Challenging attitudes

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Never too early

• Under 5s can make decisions which affect their
  daily lives
• Activities
• Food
• Environment
• Of course their horizons are narrower

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School and the Community

• Children aged 5 -11
• School Councils
• Workshops on themes
• Bullying
• Transport
• Playgrounds
• Disability
• Highly skilled at 11 less skilled at 12

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School and the Community

• Question Times
• Senior school pupils
• Debate issues across the city
• Follow-up with decision makers

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For Everyone

• Young people with Special educational Needs and
  Disabled Young People
• Learning skills
• Research, Investigation, Presentation
• Training services in awareness
• Auditing leisure facilities

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Local Initiatives

• Childrens Champion to be elected by young
  people
• Part of the curriculum
• Local Councillors in schools
• Links with area committees
• Children and Young Peoples Plan - Sets out main
  objectives for services in the City

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Agendas Coming Together
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Links between Schools and Communities

• Citizenship Curriculum - 2002
• Knowledge and Understanding
• Enquiry and Communication
• Participation and Action
• Crick
• Social and Moral Responsibility
• Community Involvement
• Political Literacy

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Links between Schools and Communities

• Extended Schools
• Schools are to be at heart of community
• Open from 8am 6pm
• Base for Health and Community Services
• Community involvement in planning

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Links between Schools and Communities

• Every Child MattersShare Common Outcome
  Framework
• Health, Education, Social Care
• OFSTED inspection is based on this
• Health
• Safety
• Enjoy and Achieve
• Economic Well-Being
• Make a Positive Contribution, Engage in Decision
  making

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Links between Schools and CommunitiesNeed to
gain views of children

• Health NHS Plan Chapter 10
• YOTs
• Connexions
• Childrens Fund
• Sure Start
• Scrutiny Panels

• Local Government Loc Gov Act 2000
• Local Strategic Plans
• Community Regeneration
• Neighbourhood Funds
• Transport Planning

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Benefits of Linking Schools and Communities

• supports improvement in standards
• enables children to have fun and develop new
  skills
• enhances support for vulnerable children
• encourages greater parental involvement
• makes better use of school facilities
• provides better help to staff and parents to
  address childrens wider needs
• Reduces health inequality through greater take up
  of school-based health and social care services
• Extended schools Access to opportunities and
  services for all DfES

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Theory Reality - Difficulties Good examples
but

• Citizenship in schools - compulsory but
• Not sufficient time allotted to subject
• Can be too theoretical
• Lack of skilled professionals great teachers
  but is there an sufficient awareness beyond the
  school gate?
• Do outside professionals truly realise the
  pressures within school?

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Theory Reality - Difficulties Good examples
but

• To have an impact need to link in with set
  agendas but these agendas are set by government
• Not set by the community
• Do agendas reflect values of community
• Is the agenda about Citizenship Education or is
  it about Educating Citizens to be economically
  successful?

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Theory Reality - Difficulties Good examples
but

• Has the emphasis come about because of perceived
  apathy?
• Political self-justification
• Change attitudes of young people but not
  politicians
• About more than learning about the institutions
• About more than social control
• About more than party politics
• Power has to be shared

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Theory Reality - Difficulties Good examples
but

• True citizenship in schools needs a step change
  in attitudes
• Cultural view of children and young people in UK
  is poor
• Banning of Hoodies from shopping centres
• Iraq War school demonstrations
• The Media - Press for Change
• Skills for youth groups to promote their own
  image
• Challenged local newspaper over coverage

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Theory Reality - Difficulties Good examples
but

• Resources need to be focused on making change
  happen
• Childrens views compete with a myriad of others
• Many entrenched views will there be enough
  strength political will at all levels to challenge

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Theory Reality - Difficulties Good examples
but

• Health is a huge factor in peoples lives but
  involving young people and community in planning
  difficult
• Complexity of issues
• Time and expertise needed to explore issues

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Successful Citizenship Education

• Has to be practical as well as theoretical
• Important it is about the small issues
• The issues that matter to groups so it might be
  just about dog muck in the park
• Success itself breeds success
• Experience that young people involved in one
  project will volunteer for others and develop
  interests in wider political sphere
• Group experience skills of the collective

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Successful Citizenship Education

• Competes successfully for the time of
• Young People
• Teachers - Professionals
• Must have a degree of rigour within a developing
  experiential model
• Not elitist
• Educationalists must be sensitive to community
  and facilitate the community to set the agenda

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Successful Citizenship Education

• It Can Happen not only within schools but also
  within other settings