020 7566 4133

About ACT

graphic of citizenship books

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

Share on Facebook

This Month's Theme

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.

> read more

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.

ACT and Citizenship Foundation have developed guidance for schools on how to deal with the BNP and other radical groups.

> read through MORE NEWS ITEMS

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.

> browse all FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Ask the Experts - Your Questions Answered

Featured Question :-

Question

I am thinking about assessment using the new Citizenship curriculum, should I use the 'Working Towards', 'Working At' and 'Working Beyond' statements or start using the new levels? Also my headteacher wants me to start giving levels for citizenship this year, what should I be doing?

Answer

Assessment and reporting arrangements for citizenship are changing. The introduction of the revised secondary curriculum includes a single attainment target for citizenship described as level descriptions. The first statutory teacher assessment where schools will assess pupil performance at the end of key stage 3 against the level descriptions, will take place during the summer of 2011. This is the first year in which the first cohort who have been taught the revise curriculum complete key stage 3. You can start to use the 8 level scale to help frame assessments whenever you wish, especailly with your new Year 7. You can use the previous descriptions for two more years with the current Year 8 and 9 but it may be useful to start using the 8 level scale across the key stage.

Reports to parents about pupil's strengths and areas for development in citizenship, continue to be required for pupils in each year of key stage 3 and key stage 4. From 2011, the annual report for year 9 pupils will also need to include the results of a level related judgement about pupil performance in citizenship. There is no statuary reason to do so before the summer of 2011.

It is important to build a full picture of each pupil's attainment in citizenship. During the course of the key stage, teachers will assess pupil progress to gather information about how pupils are doing. It is not necessary to record or report a level for each pupil at these points, however some schools choose to do so. Other schools may prefer to keep records using qualitative descriptions of progress and attainment. The end of key stage 3 teacher assessment should be based on a range of types of evidence of pupil responses to citizenship learning activities and active experiences.

To prepare for the changes to assessment and reporting arrangements for citizenship, schools need to:

ensure citizenship teaching staff are familiar with the new arrangements for assessment and reporting and the standards for citizenship set out in the level descriptions

plan regular opportunities for assessing citizenship across the key stage, to gather information about pupil's citizenship knowledge, understanding and skills

develop clear assessment criteria or success criteria for teaching and learning activities that are used for assessment

establish a baseline of knowledge, understanding and skills for pupils beginning KS3

develop mechanisms to gather and record evidence from a range of learning contexts

build an approach to moderation, in particular for end of key stage judgements made by staff across a cohort.

To view the new curriculum including the revised programmes of study for citizenship and the new level descriptions visit www.qca.org.uk/curriculum and click on subjects for the citizenship page.

Liz Craft, Citizenship adviser, QCA

> read more Q&A FROM OUR EXPERTS


Associated Organisations

www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk www.csv.org.uk www.dfes.org.uk