Citizenship at key stage 3    (Year 7-9)

• In groups, pupils discuss and make a decision about a particular issue, problem or event, eg where to go for an end-of-year outing, choosing a charity or voluntary organisation to support, what facilities a new local sports club should provide.
• Ask pupils to identify different ways in which groups of people, eg organisations, communities, make decisions. Are there situations in which everyone has a say? Can other people ever make decisions on our behalf? What are fair ways of making a decision? Is taking a vote on different options the only possibility? What other ways are there, eg one person decides; voting (show of hands, secret ballot, e-mail poll, MPs walking through the lobby in Parliament, national referendum); a sub-group decides for a larger group (for instance a board of directors makes a decision on behalf of company shareholders)?
• Pupils could then list the ways in which they can 'have their say' in school, eg informal discussions with staff, group discussions during tutor time, circle time, surveys of pupils' opinions, student noticeboards, meetings, involvement in class/ year/school councils. How effective are these different forums, and to what extent do pupils feel consulted/able to contribute to discussions? How are they notified of any decisions that are made in/about the school?
• In groups, pupils could compare the ways of contributing to the decision-making process used in the school with those used in the wider world. Draw out suggestions on how they can further their involvement in decision-making, eg improving their listening skills, learning how to get the most from meetings, choosing appropriate people to represent them, taking part in surveys, writing letters.

• Show pupils a selection of video clips in which different groups of people are meeting in different settings, eg a group of friends chatting in a coffee bar; a coach giving his team a pep talk before a match; staff at an advertising agency brainstorming ideas; a public meeting on a local issue; a debate in the House of Commons. Pupils could identify and discuss the purpose of each meeting, and the differences in their style and organisation. Was there a chairperson? Was anyone making a note of what was said? What worked well? What didn't? Did everyone have their say?
• Divide pupils into small groups and give them a limited time to draw two annotated sketches on large pieces of paper or a flip chart. One should show a meeting that is progressing well, and the other a meeting where things have gone wrong. Each group should then discuss their sketches with the class. Use the presentations to draw up a list of what makes for an effective meeting, and what causes a meeting to go badly.
• Pupils could then decide in what situations they might hold a formal meeting to discuss class business, and when to use informal discussion, circle time.

• In groups, pupils could decide what qualities and skills they would want somebody representing their views to have, eg listening skills, communication skills, organisational skills, leadership skills, honesty, and feed back as a class.
• If the school has a student council, ask each group to review: how the council members are selected; whom each member represents, eg one class, the year group; and how accountable the council is to the rest of the pupils in the school.
• Ask pupils to discuss ways to run a fair student council election and campaign. They should agree on how to select representatives, how to deal with bias, the role of the school magazine/newspaper in the campaign, and what to do in the event of a draw. Should electoral observers and a returning officer be appointed?
• Pupils could then discuss and agree on the criteria for voting in a school election, eg should anyone not be able to vote? Make reference to the age at which people can vote in general elections and that those under 18 are excluded. Pupils also discuss the merits of different voting systems, and discuss the terms 'relative majority', 'transferable voting', 'tactical voting' and 'first past the post'.
• Pupils take on a range of roles in helping to plan the election, eg carrying out research into voting systems and how elections are organised; planning and taking part in assemblies to raise awareness; producing campaign material (discuss what the electorate needs to know); researching and producing reports for the school magazine/newspaper (how is media coverage of real elections provided?).

• Pupils explore mechanisms for maintaining communication between those who are elected to the student council and other pupils, eg noticeboards, newsletters, websites, discussion forums, assemblies and other presentations, 'surgeries', debates, a suggestion box. What else should the student council get involved with, eg community events (volunteering, fund-raising for a particular charity), organising school conferences on particular issues. Pupils feed back their suggestions to the student council through their elected representative. They investigate how the council interacts with other related communities, eg school governors, other schools, the local council, local community bodies, and how they can be involved in resulting activities.
• Ask pupils to reflect, individually and in small groups, on how they can participate more effectively in class/year group/school forums. They could also consider how to get more out of other meetings, such as form meetings, eg how to raise issues for discussion, how to take discussion forward. What relevant skills do they have? What skills do they need to develop further?