§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans he has to issue guidance for teachers on the teaching of controversial subjects as part of Citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4; [110936]
(2) what assessment he has made of the amount of curricular time needed for the teaching of Citizenship as a foundation subject at key stages 3 and 4; [110937]
(3) what factors underlay his decision to require pupils at key stage 3 to be taught about regional identities in the United Kingdom as part of the programme of study for Citizenship; [110938]
(4) what plans he has to implement the recommendation of the Advisory Group on Citizenship for the establishing of a Commission on Citizenship Education to monitor and scrutinise the implementation of Citizenship education; [110939]
(5) what estimate he has made of the number of additional teachers who will need to be recruited in order to teach Citizenship at key stages 3 and 4; [110940]
(6) what estimate he has made of the annual cost of implementing Citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4. [110941]
§ Jacqui SmithThe introduction of Citizenship education in schools was supported during the consultation on the review of the National Curriculum. We are actively taking forward plans to implement the new arrangements for the introduction as a statutory subject at Key Stages 3 and 4 in 2002. I chair a working party in the Department for Education and Employment developing a package of measures to support schools in delivering the Citizenship programme. The Working Party's membership is drawn from head teachers, advisers, Citizenship education groups and the churches. The hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) is also a member. It includes representatives from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Office for Standards in Education and the Teacher Training Agency. It is considering the requirements for teachers and teacher training for Citizenship education as part of its remit along with other issues such as assessment, community involvement and resources.
Standards Funds of £18 million have already been made available from April 2000 to support schools in implementing the revised National Curriculum—some £12 million of that will support Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education, of which £5 million is for Citizenship at Key Stages 3 and 4. The wider costs to the Government of introducing Citizenship education are being considered as part of the Citizenship Education Working Party's work.
Pupils will be taught, within the Citizenship programme, about the regional identities in the United Kingdom as part of learning about the diversity of our society and the need for mutual understanding and respect. The teaching of controversial issues arises in other subjects as well as in Citizenship. There are well established safeguards in law to guard against biased and unbalanced teaching. The report of the National Advisory Group on Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools acknowledged these in its final 311W report in September 1998 and included a note on the teaching of controversial issues. Guidance for schools on this and other matters will be provided as part of initial planning guidance to be issued by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
There are no current plans to establish a commission to monitor and scrutinise the implementation of Citizenship education but the matter is to be kept under review. Teaching and learning in Citizenship will be monitored in the same way as for other subjects. Citizenship comes under the remit of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to monitor and review the curriculum and the teaching of it in schools will be inspected by the Office for Standards in Education.