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The Citizenship Curriculum at St John Bosco Arts College aims to prepare our students to become compassionate, caring and productive members of society by equipping them with a depth and breadth of knowledge, skills and understanding.
Our Curriculum is divided into six main strands through which current events are interleaved to ensure that teaching remains relevant and accessible to all students. Human Rights, Poverty and Charity, Democracy and Parliament, the Environment, Justice and the Law and Digital Citizenship.
We seek to foster and develop our students’ understanding of each key theme through weekly taught sessions during form time, consolidated through real-world experience whenever possible. This could range from gaining an insight into democracy and public service through becoming an elected member of the Student Council, to visiting a Magistrates Court and participating in the Young Citizens’ Mock Trial competition or attending a virtual tour of the Houses of Parliament. As a school we strive to offer our students a wide variety of these types of activities to connect their classroom learning with its practical application.
Citizenship resources are regularly updated to reflect current local, national and global events, ensuring that the needs of our student community are addressed.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students review the concept of human rights, identifying their own entitlement and considering the resultant responsibilities. Students decide whether neglect of responsibility should affect entitlement to rights and study scenarios ranging from school rules to criminal law. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students identify different causes of world poverty after studying statistics related to global economic inequality. Students consider the impact of war, debt, natural disasters, unfair trade and other factors on the economy of a country and discuss whether countries with more financial security should to more to support struggling nations. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students learn about the European Union, its origins and current role, and the process of the UK leaving. Students review the referendum process and consider the advantages and disadvantages of the withdrawal. Students consider future potential referendums which could affect the UK, including Scotland becoming an independent nation.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students revisit the different motives driving people to commit crimes, considering social, environmental and psychological factors. Students consider why criminals are punished including concepts around deterrence, retribution, reformation, protection and reparation. Students decide on appropriate punishments for different scenarios.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students revisit concepts of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour online and identify ways in which they can set boundaries in online interactions. Students discuss ways to react if communication becomes uncomfortable including how not to consent, how to report inappropriate behaviour and sources of support.
Term 3B: The Environment
Students study the production of palm oil and the impact it has on areas used for cultivation of palm trees. Students identify which products in their daily lives contain palm oil and consider more environmentally-friendly products available. Students review an advert designed to raise awareness of the impact of palm oil on the environment and decide whether its ban was justified, suggesting other methods to promote awareness of the topic.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students consider human rights around the globe and how these may differ from nation to nation or even within a single country with autonomously governed states. Students consider how political decisions can affect the human rights of citizens and consider the role of activism and protest in safeguarding human rights. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students revisit the concept of global wealth distribution, and consider whether the existence of billionaires can be justified. Students investigate taxation and consider the advantages and disadvantages of the current system. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students consider the role of the monarchy in modern society and identify the way sovereign leaders may work with elected officials. Students evaluate the pros and cons of the continued existence of a constitutional monarchy including the cost to tax-payers, revenue from tourism, and cultural and historical importance.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students learn about their rights as consumers, revisiting the concept of civil law. They identify the responsibilities of sellers to uphold consumer rights, and steps to take when these are infringed. Students are presented with a number of scenarios and decide on the appropriate course of action to take in each case along with the desired outcome.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students consider how their online presence can be used to increase future employability, developing an insight into the advantages of developing a network of contacts in their chosen field and examining case studies of young people who have used social media to secure internships and work experience.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students consider how human rights are balanced in society, identifying which are absolute and which may need to be limited in order to protect individuals and the wider society. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students study the concept of a Universal Basic Income and evaluate the associated advantages and disadvantages. Students consider how a society might support its most vulnerable citizens and discuss whether this should come with any form of limitation. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students consider the legal voting age in different countries and decide whether they think these are appropriate or not. Students evaluate the voting patterns of different age groups in the UK and discuss who may be most affected by recent voting decisions.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students investigate laws around harassment and stalking and consider how laws have been updated to address changes in society and technology. Students study different case examples and decide if they think that sanctions were appropriate or changes they would make to the law.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students consider the role of social media as a tool for online activism, reviewing the effectiveness of global campaigns around discrimination, harassment and the environment. Students study recent campaigns and review their success in effecting real-life change.
Term 3B: The Environment
Students evaluate the eco-friendliness of the school, factoring in their learning up to now around the environment. Students identify areas to be improved and design a campaign to promote change.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students consider the role of human rights and the benefits they bring to their own lives and to the wider community. Students decide on actions they can take to help to defend equality and human rights in the school and local community. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students investigate poverty levels in their local community and identify active charities in need of support. Students choose a charity and design a campaign to fundraise in school and or the wider community. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students investigate the leading causes of voter apathy, and identify the importance of voting in a democratic society. Students consider how to motivate young people to vote, studying campaigns used in the past and evaluating their effectiveness.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students consider changes they would make to current British laws, considering laws around alcohol and drugs, student loans and abuse in relationships. Students study cases where outcomes have caused controversy and decide whether they would change the sanction imposed.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students study how social media may be harnessed by extremist groups to target a vulnerable audience and warning signs that they or themselves may be the victim of online grooming. Students learn how to report this and seek support.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students are introduced to the definition of ‘Human Rights’ and learn about how and why the list of Universal Human Rights was created following the Holocaust. They consider which Human Rights are most important to them, and how defending our own rights could impact the freedom and wellbeing of others. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students are introduced to the term ‘food poverty’ and analyse statistics around those affected by food poverty in the UK. They consider the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on household finances, and study Marcus Rashford’s petition and campaign for Free School Meals. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students learn about UK Parliament, studying the role Parliament plays in society and considering the differences between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They analyse the responsibilities of MPs and Peers and decide on a role model in their local community that they would nominate to join the House of Lords based on a given criteria.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students revisit the role of Parliament in creating new laws and legislation in the UK, exploring the process and studying examples of campaigns and petitions from the public leading to new laws being introduced. Students compare this process with how new school rules are introduced, and revisit the development of Universal Human Rights.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students consider the meaning of the word ‘citizenship’ in the context of an online world. Students discuss how older legislation may now need to be updated to reflect changes in technology, focusing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Students revisit concepts around online safety including identifying and reporting potential grooming and appropriate behaviour online using the acronym SMART.
Term 3B: The Environment
Students develop their knowledge of environmental issues including terminology around climate change and the effect of global warming on different areas around the world, including vulnerable species and developing nations.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students review and consolidate their definition of ‘Human Rights’, identifying connections between different rights and how taking away one right might affect others. Students debate whether rights should apply to only humans or whether they should apply for animals or artificial intelligence. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students define the term ‘charity’ and consider the role of charities in modern society. Students discuss whether some charitable causes are worthier than others and if domestic aid should be prioritised over foreign aid. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students learn about the UK electoral process and consider the importance of voting in a democratic society. Students are introduced to the laws related to general elections and review the role of MPs and Parliament.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students study the differences between criminal and civil law and the processes involved in both. Students categorise scenarios into criminal or civil matters, and decide on appropriate outcomes in each case. Students are introduced to the different roles played in court and are able to see an example of a mock trial conducted by young people.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students are introduced to the term ‘digital footprint’ and reflect on what their online activity would suggest about their character. Students learn about the traces their interactions on social media leave and the impact this can have on their future aspirations. Students review appropriate behaviour online and ensure their privacy settings are adjusted appropriately.
Term 3B: The Environment
Students investigate the impact of plastic on the environment, reviewing the introduction of micro-plastics into marine wildlife and the food chain, and current and proposed legislation around single-use plastic. Students review their personal use of plastic and identify ways this could be reduced.
Term 1A: Human Rights
Students study the role activism has played throughout the history of Human Rights, considering the journey from the Suffragette Movement to the Civil Rights Movement in obtaining equality for marginalised groups. Students also study modern activism movements and list ways that they could become a champion of Human Rights. Students celebrate World Mental Health Day.
Term 1B: Poverty and Charity
Students study the concept of Fair Trade, considering the provenance of common ingredients in their everyday diets and the process involved from cultivation to supermarket purchase. Students identify points where exploitation may be identified and calculate the profits made at each point in the supply chain, along with how they are distributed. Students celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and UK Parliament Week.
Term 2A: Democracy and Parliament
Students identify the contrasts between a democracy and a dictatorship exploring how life for citizens in each system might differ. Students explain why human rights might be better protected in a democracy rather than in a dictatorship and decide which types of ruling systems they think are most fair.
Term 2B: Justice and the Law
Students study the age of criminal responsibility and are able to explain the differences between how young people and adults are treated by the law. They identify the contributing factors which may cause a young person to commit a crime and consider how young people may be rehabilitated or punished.
Term 3A: Digital Citizenship
Students consider to what extent social media companies are responsible for the spread of false or malicious information online. Students discuss the role that users of social media play in sharing posts and how to verify information discovered online. Students identify ways in which young people may be vulnerable to exploitation online and how this can be recognised and reported.
Term 3B: The Environment
Students study the concept of waste, in relation to food, water and power. Students discuss figures from the UK and consider global distribution of resources. Students identify ways to reduce waste at a personal, local, national and global level.
If you are interested in human rights, politics or being an active citizen then why not try one of our book recommendations all about citizenship - simply select the 'Citizenship' Reading List image, and click on the book cover that you are interested in. Looking for more books based on this theme? Then check out our further book recommendations on Accessit here: Citizenship Reading List
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