Key Stage 3 citizenship · Communities and participation

KS3 citizenship: public institutions and who runs things

In Key Stage 3 citizenship, pupils learn about the roles played by public institutions in society. These are the organisations, funded by taxes and answerable to the public, that provide services such as health care, policing, local services and education. Pupils learn how they differ from charities and private businesses, how local and national government fit together, and what rights and responsibilities citizens have in a democracy.

Public institutions, explained

A public institution is an organisation set up by law or by government to provide a service for the public, paid for mainly out of taxes and answerable to the public, usually through elected representatives. The NHS, state schools, local councils, the police and fire services, the courts, the armed forces and Parliament itself are all examples. The curriculum does not list which institutions to study, so schools choose, often focusing on those pupils meet in daily life, such as their local council and the NHS.

Pupils compare three kinds of organisation. Public institutions use tax money and exist to provide a service. Voluntary groups, such as charities, are independent and rely on donations and volunteers. Private businesses aim to make a profit. The boundaries blur in real life, which is a good thing to notice: many doctors’ surgeries are run by independent practices that are paid by the NHS, and a council might pay a private company to collect rubbish. Pupils are encouraged to ask who pays, who decides and who benefits.

A key distinction is between central and local government. Central government, made up of ministers, departments and civil servants, sets national policy on things like defence and, in England, health and schools (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make many of these decisions for themselves). Local councils deliver services close to home: refuse and recycling, libraries, planning permission, local roads, social care and public parks. Councils are led by elected councillors and are paid for through council tax, business rates and grants from central government. Civil servants and council officers carry out decisions and are expected to be politically impartial, serving whichever party is in power.

The topic sits within the wider aim of understanding democracy, government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Public institutions are accountable: elected representatives set direction and budgets, decisions are usually made in the open, services can be questioned and complaints can be made. Citizens have rights, such as using public services, and responsibilities, such as paying taxes, obeying the law and, when called, serving on a jury. How Parliament operates is taught as a separate topic, so lessons here concentrate on the institutions that deliver services.

Pupils usually learn through case studies and role-play. They might look at how a council decides to spend a limited budget, hold a mock council meeting to debate closing a library or building a skate park, or investigate how long people wait for a service and what might be done. The skills involved are asking good questions, weighing competing needs and giving reasons for a decision, not memorising which department does what.

Words your child will hear

Public institution: An organisation set up to serve the public, funded by taxes and answerable to elected representatives.
Public service: A service provided for everyone’s benefit, such as health care, education or refuse collection.
Tax: Money collected by government from people and businesses to pay for public services.
Local council: The elected body that runs services in an area, such as libraries, planning and local roads.
Central government: The national government, led by the Prime Minister and ministers, who set policy for the UK, and for England on matters that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decide for themselves.
Accountable: Having to explain decisions and spending to the public and accept checks and consequences.
Citizen: A member of a country who has rights and responsibilities in it.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should be taught about the roles played by public institutions and voluntary groups in society, and the ways in which citizens work together to improve their communities, including opportunities to participate in school-based activities
Teaching should develop pupils’ understanding of democracy, government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: a pothole outside school

There is a large pothole in a residential road outside school. Who is responsible for it, and what can citizens do?

Work out who is responsible. Most roads are looked after by a local highway authority. Where an area has two tiers of council this is the county council; elsewhere it is the single council for the area, such as a unitary or London borough council. Motorways and some major roads are the responsibility of a national body. A residential road is the local council’s.
Report it properly. Councils have an online form or phone line. A good report gives the exact location, describes the size and danger of the pothole, and includes a photo.
Understand why it may not be fixed at once. The council has a limited budget from council tax and government grants and many requests, so it ranks repairs by how dangerous they are. Citizens can sensibly ask how it ranks them.
Use accountability if nothing happens. Contact the local councillor who represents the area, use the council’s complaints process, and if the matter is still unresolved, an independent ombudsman can look at it. Councils also hold meetings that members of the public can usually attend, and councillors face election.

The local council is responsible. Citizens should report the pothole with a precise location and photo, accept that repairs are ranked by priority, and then contact their councillor or use the complaints process if nothing happens. Voters can also raise the issue at local elections.

Common mistakes and how to help

“The government runs everything”

News coverage mostly features national government, so councils, the NHS and other bodies are all lumped together as “the government”.

What helps: Ask your child to sort a list of services by who delivers them: a bin collection, a hospital, an army base, a state school. Notice how many are local and how many national.

“Public services are free”

Many services do not charge at the point of use, such as seeing a doctor or going to a state school, so they feel free.

What helps: Show where the money comes from: taxes, including income tax, VAT and council tax. “Free at the point of use” is not the same as “costs nothing”, and each choice about spending involves trade-offs.

“Politicians run public institutions day to day”

Elected politicians appear most in the news and set the direction, so it seems they do the work too.

What helps: Explain that politicians set policy and budgets, while professionals such as nurses, teachers, officers and civil servants do the work, with managers in between.

“A citizen’s only role is to vote every few years”

Voting is the best-known way to take part, and for under-18s it can seem out of reach.

What helps: List the other routes: contacting a councillor, responding to consultations, attending public meetings, complaining, volunteering and campaigning. Ask which one your child might use for something they care about.

How to help at home

Map the public institutions you use. On a journey to school or the shops, point out the library, health centre, bus stop, school, fire station and parks. Ask who runs and pays for each of them.
Read a payslip together. If you are comfortable doing so, show where income tax and National Insurance are taken. Then talk about which public services that money helps to pay for.
Look at what your council does. Find a leaflet, newsletter or online summary of your council’s services and budget. Ask what your child would cut or protect if the council had less money, and why.
Use a local issue to practise. Choose a small problem, such as a broken streetlight or an overflowing bin. Find out together who is responsible, and let your child draft the report to the right body.