Citizenship as a Form of Ethics Education in the United Kingdom

Abstract

In my article, I present the historical origins of the introduction of the subject of Citizenship in 2002 to British schools in the state sector, discuss its assumptions and present a translation of its syllabus. I also want to show that the subject of Citizenship is a form of ethical education. In the liberal English tradition, the state avoided influencing axiological decisions in the area of education, hence showing initiative in the sphere of ethical education is a significant fact. In the first part of the article, referring to the history of state education in Great Britain, I reconstruct the historical context in which I situate the introduction of the subject of Citizenship. In the second part, I point out the immediate circumstances of the introduction of the new subject by the Labour Party. In the third part, I examine the theoretical foundations of the Citizenship curriculum as presented in a document known as the „Crick Report”, published in 1998.