Key Stage 3 · ages 11 to 14
Key Stage 3 citizenship: what your child learns
In Years 7 to 9, citizenship introduces how the UK is governed, how laws are made and enforced, and how money works. Children study how democracy developed, the roles of citizens, Parliament and the monarch, elections and political parties, and citizens’ liberties and responsibilities. They also learn about rules, the police, courts and tribunals, public institutions and voluntary groups, what money is for, budgeting and managing risk, with school-based chances to improve their community.
Guides for parents
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Budgeting
How KS3 citizenship teaches budgeting: income and spending, fixed and variable costs, saving for goals, a worked example for teenagers and ways to practise at home.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Citizens, Parliament and the monarch
What Key Stage 3 pupils learn about who does what in UK government: the part played by citizens, MPs and Lords, and the King, with a model answer and tips for home.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Courts and tribunals
How courts and tribunals work in England and Wales, as taught in KS3 citizenship: criminal and civil cases, magistrates and juries, and how to help your teenager with it.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
How UK democracy developed
How Key Stage 3 citizenship explains the growth of democracy in the UK, from Magna Carta to votes for women, with a worked answer and ways to talk it through at home.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
The functions and uses of money
What KS3 citizenship teaches about money: why we use it instead of barter, its three functions, how people earn, spend and save, and inflation and interest.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
How Parliament works
What Key Stage 3 pupils learn about the Commons, the Lords and how a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, with a step-by-step example and simple ways to practise at home.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Improving communities
How KS3 citizenship teaches pupils to improve their community: school councils, campaigns, petitions and informed action, with a worked plan and ways to help at home.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Managing risk with money
How KS3 citizenship teaches teenagers to manage financial risk: spotting scams, understanding borrowing, risk and reward, insurance and what to do at home to help.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
The role of political parties
What Key Stage 3 pupils learn about political parties in the UK: manifestos, government and opposition, and how to judge a claim fairly, with a worked example.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
The precious liberties of UK citizens
What Key Stage 3 pupils learn about the liberties enjoyed by UK citizens, such as free speech and fair trial, and where limits apply, with a model answer and home ideas.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Public institutions
What public institutions are, how councils and the NHS are funded and held accountable, and what KS3 citizenship teaches about citizens’ rights and responsibilities.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Rights and responsibilities
What Key Stage 3 pupils learn about the rights and responsibilities of UK citizens, how they connect and how to take informed action, with a worked example and tips.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
The role of the police
What KS3 citizenship teaches about the police: their powers and limits, how they differ from courts and prosecutors, how they are held to account, and ideas for home.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
The nature of rules and laws
What Key Stage 3 pupils learn about the difference between rules and laws, criminal and civil law, and how laws are made and change, with a worked example for parents.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Voluntary groups and charities
What voluntary groups and charities do, how they are funded and run, how to judge a good cause, and what KS3 citizenship teaches about volunteering.
Key Stage 3 citizenship
Voting and elections
How Key Stage 3 citizenship explains UK general elections, constituencies and first past the post, with a worked vote count and ways to discuss voting at home.
Everything in the Key Stage 3 citizenship curriculum
The National Curriculum topics for Key Stage 3, in the order the National Curriculum lists them.