NEWS


Blunkett blasts curriculum review for citizenship snub


by Daniel White


A former education secretary has branded the national curriculum review as “deeply depressing” because of its stance on citizenship. David Blunkett, who was sec-


retary of state between 1997 and 2001, slammed the expert panel that is leading the review for degrading citizenship and failing to recognise its importance. Late last year, the panel pub-


lished its first recommendations, which stated that citizenship should not be a compulsory programme of study and instead should be left to the discretion of individual schools. Mr Blunkett’s comments were


made at the launch of a new report which looks at the experiences of 1,510 young people during their citizenship education. He said: “There needs to be a


value for citizenship to be trans- mitted to citizens as a whole and provide people with some sense


Students’ recycling campaign wins top enterprise award


Recycle more and litter less is the message that has won a group of students tickets to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. Students from Cramlington


Learning Village in Northumberland won this year’s Coca Cola Enterprises Real Business Challenge after pitching their “Beat the mon- ster” campaign to promote recy- cling to a panel of judges including Paralympic gold medalist Baronness Tanni Grey-Thompson. The Challenge aims to give stu-


dents aged 14 and 15 business experience as well as teach them skill and attributes that will be key to their working life. This year’s theme focused on sustainability. More than 500 schools took part


in regional heats late last year and the grand final saw the 10 finalists working with business experts to develop their ideas.


Cramlington business studies


teacher, Michael Bacon, said: “The competition allowed them to learn some essential business skills and to get a taste of what it is like in a genuine working environment. It has truly inspired the students and some are already talking about their future careers – it looks like we have some budding entrepreneurs on our hands.” Glenrothes High School from


Fife in Scotland claimed second place while St David’s College from Llandudno in Wales came third. The final honour of the day


was awarded to Ashleigh Meigh from St David’s College who was nominated by her fellow students for the chance to be a Torch-bearer during the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. For more information, visit www.therealbusinesschallenge.co.uk


of identity and how decisions are made, both politically and econom- ically, in this country. “I find it so deeply depressing


that the national curriculum panel doesn’t see that and it makes you wonder what an earth these people are doing.” During his address, Mr Blunkett


championed the work that citizen- ship has done since its introduction to the curriculum in 1996. It was made a compulsory subject at key stages 3 and 4 in


2002. Since then, almost 500,000 students have taken A levels and GCSEs in the subject. There are now around 2,000 specially trained citzenship teachers. Mr Blunkett added: “What is


discouraging is that you can have a curriculum panel of so called experts who presumably didn’t have any political education when they were at school and really believing that there is no social value (in the subject).” The report has been published


by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and the young people involved are now aged 19 and 20. The study found that the stu-


dents began to develop their atti- tudes to citizenship when aged 14 to 16. Young people in the report defined a good citizen as someone who obeys the law, con- tributes to their community, does not cheat in exams, and does not graffiti or litter. However, it also found that nearly eight out of 10


of the students said they have lit- tle or no trust in politicians. Also at the launch event,


Professor Paul Whiteley from the University of Essex, said that citi- zenship helps young people engage with and understand what is going on around them. He added: “It would be a great mistake to down- grade citizenship education in a way that meant a lot of children wouldn’t get it.” You can download the report at www.nfer.ac.uk/publications


Real business: Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson with the third-placed team from St David’s College (above) and also the winning team from Cramlington (right). Also pictured are the runners-up from Glenrothes High (far right)


Potholes targeted by citizenship students


When a learner driver friend complained about potholes in local roads three Oxfordshire youngsters resolved to highlight the issue through their GCSE citizenship studies. The trio are all year 11 stu-


dents at Didcot Girls’ School and as part of their citizenship course- work decided to launch a campaign to repair holes and damaged road surfaces in the Rose Hill area of Oxford.


So far Saba Wahid, Habiba


Khan and Ayesha Sadiqi have sur- veyed motorists on their views, circulated a petition, launched a Facebook group, put up posters, and organised a meeting with coun- ty councillors. When they visited the Houses


of Parliament last month as part of their studies they also mentioned the issue to culture secretary Ed Vaizey, whose Wantage and Didcot constitu- ency includes Didcot Girls’ School.


“The pupils gain a lot from


activities like these,” said Stuart George, the school’s head of personal development, which includes PSHE, citizenship and careers. “They learn to work as a team,


use their initiative, engage with people in the community to try and bring about positive change and, very importantly, engage in the democratic process. It’s a very positive experience.”


Is your school council exciting and innovative?


The most innovative and exciting school councils are being given the chance to visit the House of Commons and meet the Speaker. This year’s Speaker’s School


Council Awards have been launched by John Bercow MP to celebrate and recognise the contributions that they can make to their classmates and their communities. Schools are being asked to


4


nominate the most innovative and exciting projects. Since the scheme launched in 2009, more than 3,000 schools from across the UK have entered the competition. Applications are made online


and a judging panel including Mr Bercow will select a winner and finalists in each of the four age categories spanning from four to 19.


Presentation plaques will


be given to the 16 finalists and resources will be given to future school council projects for the win- ning four schools. Mr Bercow said: “As demo-


cratically elected bodies, student councils are often the first experi- ences young people have with dem- ocratic practices, and I am proud that Parliament is able to support


these practices through the School Council Awards. “I encourage all school councils


across the UK to submit the project they are most proud of, and I look forward to seeing the entries and welcoming winners to Parliament for their awards day.” The deadline for submis-


sions is April 30. For details, visit www.speakersschoolcouncil.org


Worrying results from lunch box amnesty


The contents of children’s packed lunches are once again causing concern after a new study. In a Lunch Box Amnesty sur-


vey, only seven per cent of packed lunches inspected met the govern- ment’s food standards. The standards are set by the


School Food Trust and are a requirement for school canteens, although obviously do not cover packed lunches. The study showed that 77 per


cent of the lunch boxes contained a food or drink that is not permitted under the standards. Also, less than a quarter had the recommended minimum of two portions of fruit and vegetables, although 56 per cent did contain at least one piece. More than four in 10 lunches


included crisps – which were the most popular of the snacks not allowed under the standards. For school lunches to abide by


the standards, they must consist of at least two portions of fruit and vegetables and only one meat prod- uct. Savoury snacks high in salt and fat are not advised. Four secondary schools took


part in the survey with 120 year 7 and 8 students opening their packed lunches to inspection. Other stu-


dents also took part in question- naires as part of the research, which was carried out on behalf of cater- ing company Innovate Standards. Elsewhere, the survey said that


43 per cent of students throw away the contents of their packed lunch – reasons given included that they did not like the contents. It also found that more than 90


per cent carry their lunchboxes in school bags alongside things like PE kits, raising hygiene concerns. Robert Hobson, a public health


nutritionist for the Nutrition Society who led the study, said: “The audit we have produced shows that a majority of the lunch boxes ana- lysed failed to meet the food and nutrient-based standards for school lunches and this implies that food brought from home was less healthy than the food provided by the school canteen, whose menu is required to meet such standards. “It is tricky for parents to not


only take into consideration the nutritional standards when packing their child’s lunch each morning, but to offer variety.” The food-based and nutrient-


based standards for school lunches can be accessed at www.school foodtrust.org.uk/the-standards


SecEd • February 2 2012


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