Citizenship at key stages 1 and 2    (Year 3-6)

• Ask the children to brainstorm things they want, eg toys, clothes, sweets, computers, trainers. Make a list of the items. In groups, the children discuss which of these 'wants' are 'needs', and then they think of other things they need. The groups report back to produce a class list of 'our needs'. They decide which of these are needs shared by all humans and so should be fundamental rights - human rights. They identify which are essential for life, eg food, shelter, and which might be essential for well-being, eg love, friendship. Circle time may be an appropriate context for discussion, complemented by other relevant activities.
• Using the results of the previous activity, and any work that children have done on classroom rules, the children work in groups to create a charter of rights for children, eg the right to a home, to learn, to be safe, to choose their own friends to play with. Groups present their charters to the whole class, either orally or on a large sheet of paper, and similarities and differences are discussed. They could vote on which rights to include in a final charter.
• Play some 'trust games' to raise the children's awareness of their responsibilities towards others. They could play 'Blind trust', in which pairs of children take turns to be blindfolded. The sighted partner leads the blindfolded partner around the room, then they reverse roles. Afterwards they discuss their feelings about how it felt to be blindfolded and how it felt to have responsibilities as a leader.
• The children look at the charter of rights they've drawn up and write appropriate responsibilities alongside each right, eg we have the right to a home - and the responsibility to help care for it; we have the right to learn - and the responsibility not to prevent others from learning; we have the right to feel safe - and the responsibility not to hurt others, either physically or emotionally.
• Tell the children that the United Nations has a Convention on the Rights of the Child, and give them a copy, simplified according to the age of the class. The children compare their own charter of rights with the UN version and decide whether they would like to alter their charter before agreeing a final version. Tell the children that in UK law, the Human Rights Act contains many similar rights to the UN Convention. The children then use ICT and design techniques to produce a poster of their charter.
• Discuss why children need a special charter, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ensure that the children understand that the Convention applies to all children, regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they live and what their beliefs are. They consider whether the charter they developed would be right for other groups of children, eg children in other schools, in other parts of the UK, in other EU countries, in less economically developed countries. Would their charter be able to uphold the rights of children with a disability or children who live in countries where there is conflict? There may be opportunities for the children to write to or e-mail children in other schools to compare ideas.

• Lead a discussion about what is fair and unfair. Many children will initially relate fairness to age. Can they understand why some activities are restricted to certain age groups? The discussion should continue with debate about other situations that the children think are unfair. Are boys and girls treated equally? Are there any other types of discrimination among children?
• Discuss examples of unfair treatment in stories and other literature. Focus on a particular story, eg Cinderella, to discuss fairness and situations where rights are infringed. Who had the responsibility to ensure that Cinderella's rights were upheld? How do stories such as these demonstrate justice? Using stories offers opportunities for other activities, eg role-play, hot-seating, writing a letter to a character from a story.
• What are the consequences when things go wrong? What are children's responsibilities if they know another child is being treated unfairly? The children undertake an enquiry into various types of unfairness, eg bullying, racism, discrimination. They find out what the law says, and what the school's policies are, checking whether these make it clear that in such situations children's rights are being infringed and that others have a responsibility to support them. They find out what sources of help and advice exist - in school, locally and nationally.
• The children look at case studies of situations where children's rights have been denied, in this country and overseas. Newspapers and magazines may have recent reports that are relevant, eg children in war zones, refugee children, child labour (bonded labour). Historical examples, eg The Diary of Anne Frank, also offer opportunities to develop ideas about human rights. This activity could focus on Anne Frank Day (12 June).
• Invite a speaker to talk to the children about their personal experiences of prejudice and unfair treatment, eg someone who uses a wheelchair, someone who had to leave South Africa in the apartheid years because of a human rights issue. Alternatively, case studies or videos of the experiences of particular children may be used. After the talk or video the class could discuss and debate the issues that arose.

• The children reflect on what they have learnt about children's and human rights, and explore the ways in which they take responsibility for upholding the rights of others. How are they involved in ensuring that the school's anti-bullying policy works? How do they uphold the right of all children to learn? Are there times of conflict when children feel physically or emotionally unsafe, either in class or in the playground? What can they do about it? Is there some other problem or conflict that results in an unfair situation, eg do all children have access to drinking water?
• The children identify a problem that needs to be addressed and work together to develop a strategy for dealing with it, eg
• if access to drinking water is a problem, they investigate ways to provide it and take responsible action to remedy the situation
• if they feel that some children feel unsafe in the playground, they could find out how to be trained to help resolve playground disputes, or they could introduce a 'buddy' system whereby older children assume responsibility for some of the younger ones
• The children work together as a class to produce a school display on children's rights, including their own charter of rights. They plan and lead an assembly on rights and responsibilities, to increase understanding among other children in the school of their own rights and responsibilities.