At St John Plessington Catholic College, Citizenship is an important and distinct part of our wider Personal Development curriculum. Through our Belong curriculum, dedicated curriculum time is protected for Citizenship and Careers Education, with every year group from Year 7 to Year 13 receiving a 35-minute session each week.
We have deliberately allocated this regular curriculum time because we believe Citizenship education should have a clear identity within our curriculum. This ensures that pupils have consistent opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to engage confidently with society, understand the world around them and prepare for life beyond school.

Rooted in our Catholic ethos and school values of Compassion, Respect, Determination and Justice, our Citizenship provision supports pupils to understand their place within their communities and wider society, as well as the responsibilities we share towards others.
Our Citizenship curriculum is designed to provide pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to play a full and active part in society. Pupils develop their understanding of democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld, while learning to explore political and social issues critically, weigh evidence, consider different viewpoints and make reasoned arguments.

Pupils are also supported to understand their rights and responsibilities, fundamental British values, equality and protected characteristics, participate positively in their communities and develop the financial knowledge and decision-making skills they will need for adult life.
Our Citizenship curriculum is planned progressively from Year 7 to Year 13 and draws upon the key areas of the National Curriculum for Citizenship at Key Stages 3 and 4, while extending and developing this learning through our Sixth Form provision.

Key strands include:

– Politics and Democracy
– Law, Rights and Justice
– Active Citizenship, Participation and Community Action
– Financial Education

Embedding Citizenship within protected weekly Belong curriculum time helps to reduce barriers to participation and ensures that all pupils, regardless of background or circumstance, have regular access to high-quality Citizenship education.

Through this provision, pupils are supported to become informed, responsible and active citizens, equipped to contribute positively to their school, local community and wider society.

A detailed overview of our Year 7–13 Citizenship curriculum can be found here: [INSERT CURRICULUM OVERVIEW LINK]