Since 2002 Citizenship has been a statutory requirement within the National Curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 (11-16 year olds). Post-16 citizenship aims to build on that earlier learning with a particular emphasis on active involvement in learners’ own communities.

Citizenship enables young people to understand more about their rights and responsibilities, about power and how society and political systems work.

It also enables them to discuss and develop knowledge and understanding of topical and often controversial social, political, environmental and economic issues.

It encourages learners to express their views and have a voice in democratic processes, for example within their schools, colleges, training organisations and other places of learning.

The most successful citizenship learning is active, reflective, learner-led and community-focused.

Citizenship enables learners to work with others to take action for change on issues of concern and to make a difference locally and more widely in a variety of contexts.

Citizenship and learner voice - while not synonymous - share important common ground and can be mutually reinforcing.

Both citizenship and learner voice emphasise learner autonomy, the skills of negotiation, advocacy and responsible action, an interest in improving things and understanding decision-making processes.

Effective, active citizenship learning is not possible without good learner voice and opportunities for appropriate action. In turn citizenship knowledge and skills can help to build a strong basis for learners’ understanding of, and involvement in, learner voice structures and processes.

A key resource for post-16 citizenship is Play your part: guidance for post-16 citizenship. This guidance was developed in 2004 by then Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in close collaboration with the national Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme, which began in 2001 and supported the development of a variety models for post-16 citizenship provision. The success of the development programme led to what became the LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme.