Best Practice

Nurturing civic minds: The place of citizenship education in 2025

Curriculum Teaching resources PSHE
Citizenship education has its critics, and many schools do not meet statutory requirements for its delivery. What role does citizenship have in 2025 and how can schools ensure this subject thrives? Andrew Jones offers reflections and some tried and tested ideas
Vital role: Citizenship education refers to educating individuals on how society functions and how to play an active role in democratic life - Adobe Stock

Despite teaching religious education and sociology for most of my career, I trained as a citizenship teacher in 2007. Occasionally, I feel guilty for choosing the seemingly more promising role of an RE teacher, which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

I recall my PGCE tutor, UCL’s Jeremy Hayward – a staunch advocate for citizenship education – suggesting that I teach some RE before returning to championing democratic engagement among young people.

I apologise, Jeremy: I never did. However, as a senior leader, I now oversee citizenship education, alongside PSHE.

This responsibility comes at a challenging time, with democratic principles being undermined by polarised rhetoric, misinformation, and conspiracy theories – all readily accessible on students’ devices.

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