Citizenship

A Curriculum for Excellence asks teachers to think about their educational aims and values and their classroom practice. It will give teachers more responsibility to use their professional judgement and creativity within broad parameters.

Although the 5-14 curriculum will be with us for the immediate future, use this short Reflection Guide to help you think about adapting your classroom practice in accordance with the principles and purposes of A Curriculum for Excellence.

Badge saying 'Classroom Helper' with child's drawing of children holding hands

Badges of responsibility

Primary 2 pupils at Whitfield Primary researched, designed and produced badges in a project that imaginatively combined citizenship and enterprise.

Photograph of two primary-age girls with their arms round each other's shoulders and smiling

Pupils care for their community

Bonds within a primary school and its external links boost the pupils' self-esteem and care for their community.

Developing positive playtimes

How the school council at Tolworth Infants' School improved the outdoor area and promoted positive playtimes.

Four children sitting infront of a display board

The litter police are out and about

Echline Primary School uses the Eco Schools programme and an enterprise ethos to enhance their environment and make links with curriculum subjects.

Photograph of primary-age children walking away across a grassy field

Citizenship in the great outdoors

A primary school uses the local moors, woodlands, farmland and seashore for a programme that links environmental education and citizenship.

Photograph of the carved and painted prow of a Viking long ship

From Orkney to Norway

Primary pupils explore personal identity and celebrate diversity by comparing life and culture in Orkney and Norway.

Photograph of primary-age boy and girl paying attention to unseen speaker

Community focus creates citizens

Focusing on the school as part of the local community helps primary pupils to see themselves as citizens.

Photograph of two primary-age boys concentrating and thinking

School for philosophers

The philosophy programme in this primary school enables the pupils to understand and participate in making choices and taking decisions.

Photograph of plants growing in foil container in a classroom

Making a video about caring for the environment

How Primary 6 pupils in an after-school club produced a video about caring for the environment which will used by other classes for citizenship lessons.

Photograph of child carrying supplies in tsunami affected area

Resources for discussing the Tsunami disaster

Help children and young people to understand the issues related to global catastrophes with this feature on the Tsunami disaster of Boxing Day 2004.

Photograph of a young boy sitting among rubble

Discussing the impact of earthquakes

Information on how and why earthquakes happen and the international response to disasters, focusing on the earthquake in South Asia in October 2005.

Photograph of a statue depicting a girl in the Peace Garden, Nagasaki

Peace Education and Hiroshima Day

Peace Education develops young people's abilities and attitudes for overcoming conflict. These links and resources focus on the sixtieth anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

Photograph of teenage band members playing guitar and drums

Young communicators make a pop video

For a citizenship project Primary 5 and 6 pupils made an award-winning pop video about their school and local community, with the theme ‘How to communicate with young people’.

Photograph of two primary-age girls thinking

Pupils have real role in school life

Primary pupils live up to expectations when they're given real responsibility.

A photograph of a woman's hands cradling a globe

Links abroad

Establishing, maintaining and expanding links with foreign schools and pupils can improve language skills, cultural awareness and knowledge of the world. Here's how to do it.

Photo of Burmese children - Forthview Primary School, Edinburgh

Looking east, looking west

A visit by the Dalai Lama to Scotland inspired Forthview Primary to embark on a whole-school learning journey into Buddhism.

Thumbnail image of teacher and pupil sculpting

Sense over Sectarianism

Primary 7 pupils from St Mark's RC and Springhill primary schools, in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, are tackling sectarianism in their community.

Photograph of a child's hand guiding an adult's hand as they use a computer mouse

ICT training for the over-50s

Children in the Gullane Primary School computer club help to deliver computer training to people from the local community.

Globes representing Earth, various sizes and colours

Celebrating other cultures and nations

Pupils at Park School, Kilmarnock, held an International Day to celebrate multiculturalism. Watch the video of their activities.

Pupils with presents in front of a display

Building Our Skills

Children at a primary school get involved in a variety of whole school initiatives which help develop self-esteem and interdependence.

Getting closer to Africa

See how a primary school's links with Embangweni Primary in Malawi have helped stimulate children's learning in the global dimension.

Display board showing the schools international links

Using international links to develop active pupil participation

Glenisla Primary uses its links with Europe as a catalyst for several whole school community developments.

Children from St Brendans with a display of Fairtrade fruit

Promoting fair trade

St Brendan's Primary pupils take action to raise awareness of fair trade issues and encourage their community to try fair trade products.

Photo of secondary pupils standing in a forest

Pupils redesign former cotton mill

Rothesay Academy helps halt the decline of a local landmark.

Organising a car-free day

When organising a school car-free day, pupils at Lourdes Secondary School became aware of the complexity of encouraging sustainable solutions and their own impact on people’s lifestyles.

Enterprise and Fairtrade group

See how Holyrood Secondary's Enterprise and Fairtrade group has successfully fundraised for children in Liberia and Malawi.