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The history of citizenship education in England
Author(s) -
Heater Derek
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/09585170122713
Subject(s) - citizenship , commonwealth , citizenship education , sociology , maturity (psychological) , relevance (law) , identification (biology) , empire , law , political science , gender studies , pedagogy , politics , botany , biology
The publication of the Crick report (1998) on citizenship education and the subsequent Order for implementing the compulsory status of the topic for Key Stages 3 and 4 have generated considerable comment. However, the historical background to this development has been only sketchily treated. This article attempts to provide a little more detail, to suggest a framework of analysis to illuminate the history and to indicate the relevance of this past experience for current work. The analytical framework is provided by the identification of five factors that have shaped the evolution of citizenship education in England. These are: the lack of central guidance and reliance on private initiatives; the extension of the franchise and the issue of maturity; social class and examination structures; war and peace; Empire and Commonwealth.