Celebrating the Platinum Jubilee as a Citizenship teacher

Celebrating the Platinum Jubilee as a Citizenship teacher

This week, we released our free Platinum Jubilee lesson, to help you celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign, whilst also developing some key Citizenship knowledge.

The lesson, aimed at Years 9 and 10, aims to be both fun and informative, whilst addressing some key events that have had an impact on both the role of the Head of State and the country as a whole.

Jane Haynes, ACT Ambassador and teacher at Thomas Keble School in Gloucestershire, must be credited for her input. Jane’s lesson on the monarchy set the foundational knowledge from which this special lesson was built.

As a Queen-loving, politics follower, when I was Head of Department for Citizenship and PSHE in a central London school, I was often regarded as ‘unusual’ by my fellow Citizenship teachers. Therefore, it’ll come as no surprise that I have been planning my Jubilee party for nearly a year – to say I am excited about the extended bank holiday is an understatement!

But whilst my admiration for The Queen is greater than the average teacher (or person), I am very aware of the controversy surrounding The Royal Family. I think it is overwhelmingly important that discussions about the monarchy happen in a safe environment, where students can navigate the complex narratives derived from years of exploitative British rule. With specialist support, students can develop an understanding of why traditions such as the monarchy continue in modern day Britain.

In developing the lesson, the idea was to celebrate the service of The Queen and her exceptional undertaking of the role of Head of State. For seven decades she has acted as a model citizen; which despite disagreements on the monarchy as an institution, is hard to dispute. Plus, if I ever reach the milestone of working for 70 years, I would like to be able to celebrate.

The lesson allows you to simultaneously acknowledge her personal accomplishment, and consider the varying views on our history over the seventy years she has been on the throne. Students can discuss the significance of key moments across her tenure, and the impact they may have had on the role, public opinion and the future of the monarchy.

I hope you and your students enjoy the lesson in your classrooms, and you are able to explore the qualities of our leaders, and discuss a modernisation of Britain that supports greater equality, inclusion and community cohesion.

Click here to access our Platinum Jubilee Citizenship Lesson PPT, resources and lesson plan.

Author: Clare Tubridy is a qualified teacher having completed her PGCE in Citizenship. She is also the former Head of Engagement at ACT.