Citizenship: Education
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to include local government and civic education in the national curriculum; and what assessment she has made of trends in the level of public understanding of local government decision-making processes.
Answered by Department for Education
It is vital that young people understand and value the democratic process and feel its relevance. We are committed to ensuring that democracy education reinforces the importance and value of participating in all levels of our democracy. Primary schools are free to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at Key Stages 1 and 2 to develop pupils’ awareness of citizenship issues and political and social institutions, including opportunities to take part in school and community activities.
Through the existing national curriculum for citizenship, secondary pupils are taught about democracy, local, regional and international governance, and actions citizens can take in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published in November 2025, recommended that citizenship education supports democratic understanding and engagement, to help prepare pupils for the planned lowering of the voting age to 16.
There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the curriculum and assessment system.
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