Discussion Thread: Compulsory Politics in schools

This is an archived discussion thread for the "Compulsory politics lessons" in schools voting page. Voting, and this discussion thread, have now closed. 

Dan O'Hanlon 1 month ago

1 person liked this.
Not sure about the "Politics" angle.

In the United States, they teach "Civics". (Which FULL COURSE is, even yet, underrated.)

daijohn 1 month ago

1 person liked this.
There is no magical quality to arithmetic head-counting. Democracy requires an informed electorate.

daisybeeful 1 month ago

4 people liked this.
I think that this is a great idea... Being young myself I don't feel that I was given enough opportunity to learn about politics. It is not something that I would have chosen to study full-time, but I think that everyone needs to be taught the basics. I know that the majority of my friends don't vote, and this is mainly due to lack of knowledge - they don't understand enough about it, or don't see how it would affect them.MauriceFrank 1 month ago

3 people liked this.
Compulsion means alienation. Compulsion empowers teachers to tell kids any biased rubbish they like and force their acquiescence to it. 

I had a "general studies" teacher who, knowing I was not a Labour supporter, told me I would, as an unavoidable life reality, someday join a Labour-affiliated trade union. This was during the 70s Labvour Government when closed shops combined with the party affiliation amounted to pushing something close to a one-party state at workers, bullying them to affiliate to the party of government.

I am a libertarian against all compulsory education. It is slavery. My teachers' authoritarianism ruined everything they touched.

btw, something I most certainly did do as my own choice and pleasurable action for youth liberation, was pass O-level British Constitution at 13. Actually just under on exam day. Though I had proved understanding of politics by it, nobody as a result said or took up what I had proved, that 12-year-olds should have the vote.

MichaelBrett 1 month ago

4 people liked this.
It sounds like that whichever political party was in power would use these potential lessons to indoctrinate the students, however subtly, with a view of political conducive to their own views and intentions.

robcansino 1 week ago in reply to MichaelBrett

1 person liked this.
well no because whitchever party is in power dosent sit in each lesson held and monitor them and the views bestowed on the students are far more likely to be manipulated by the teacher not the govornment. i belive that it is a step forward and a good idea to pave the way for lowering the voting age and lowering voter apathy amoungst the under 30 age group.

tdemo 1 month ago

6 people liked this.
There are already too many compulsory subjects in school cirricula. Let teachers teach pupils, not subjects, so that an element of free thinking may be retored to national life.

Kester 1 month ago

1 person liked this.
This would be in my top 5, and a contender for my no.1 favourite idea.

It's crucial that the politics curriculum is actually interesting and relevant and semi-structured but flexible enough to adapt to what appeals to students.

Probably letting the Executive government design it would be a disaster, as usual with most things they get their mucky paws on. 

Why don't the teaching unions draft curricula and then they just get slightly checked and rubber stamped by the government?

dizzydixie 1 month ago

1 person liked this.
"We should not, must not, dare not, be complacent about the health and future of British democracy. Unless we become a nation of engaged citizens, our democracy is not secure." Lord Chancellor, 1998

I think it is vitally important that all people know about the political system in this country. As everyone is legally obliged to attend school this is the perfect time to teach this. However, I don't think politics should be separated from the other major strands which make up our social life, such as law and economics. The Citizenship curriculum covers all three and I believe this is the correct forum for teaching young people about our political system. If there are specific issues that you think should be covered and aren't, I think the demand should be framed in terms of changing the Citizenship curriculum to include those issues. Otherwise you will fragment the curriculum and re-invent the wheel.

Citizenship is not just concerned with rights and responsibilities! See some extracts from the Key Stage 3 Citizenship curriculum: 
# key features of parliamentary democracy and government in the constituent parts of the UK and at local level, including voting and elections
# the UK's relations with the European Union and the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the world as a global community.
# actions that individuals, groups and organisations can take to influence decisions affecting communities and the environment
# Understanding and exploring the roles of citizens and parliament in holding government and those in power to account.

Paul Hemmingfield 1 month ago

1 person liked this.
The level of knowledge about politics in Britain is pathetic. Kids need to know the history of our political development, why all the different struggles were fought, and why it's important that they take their own place as citizens now so that society keeps progressing.

whiskydave 3 weeks ago

1 person liked this.
• I think it would be better to have compulsory philosophy, Teaching the ins and outs of the political system is only going to give power to smart-assed little brats. We should instead be discussing who/what/why we are,,reasons for taking part or not in a society, advancing as humans etc..

(: 6 days ago in reply to whiskydave
Philosophy and Ethics is already compulsory - it is part of the RS course.

John Stephen 2 weeks ago
Now almost 70 I didn't learn a thing about politics until I was persuaded to join what was then the Liberal party. It has been one of the most important things I have done in my life. I am all for teaching our young people about politics, especially in their final year. There are far too many people who say - I wont vote - they are all the same. Well its time people learned that the three major parties have very differennt objectives. I suspect that the 30% to 40% who fail to vote in General Elections are the ignorant sector of our society. They still have a vote - perhaps we should be grateful they don't use it! Far better to educate the young people so that eventually we shall be able to wipe away that sector so that everyone can enjoy democracy. I suspect that if we lived in a country like Burma or Chile we would long for democracy. Asit is most of us take it for granted and it is not appreciated. This subjuct needs pushing up the agenda along with PR !!
John Stephen
Wyre Forest Constituency

jesstar 1 week ago
this is a fantastic idea. politics was something i felt was engaged in by the whole of society as i was growing up. i had a real sense of who was what and the effects that had on society (all be it a little biased). however it scares me when young twenty somethings are saying,"bring back thatcher and the tories to sort out this financial crisis that gordon brown has got us in." This view is so naive and short sighted. It's a dis-service to our young people, our country, and our history to not teach this subject in schools!

guest 1 week ago
17 years old, at a good grammar, and genuinely the majority of people in the year know nothing about politics and the way that policy/government works. I only have a very basic understanding. This is why people don't vote, it's not apathy, it's ignorance. Compulsory teaching of British politics in PHSE lessons are the way forward.

:) 6 days ago in reply to guest
not in PSHE they never work,. and PSHE is a failure in most schools.

Elizabeth Bullen 1 week ago
The best lesson in politics I had was when I was fourteen, in History class, studying Hitler's rise to power. Everyone in the class was given the persona of a voter in 1930s Germany (their character's life history, circumstances, aspirations etc), plus a list of parties labelled A, B, C etc with each party's promises laid out. After some thought, I decided to vote for a dour-looking party that was promising to try and get inflation under control. Nearly everyone else in the class voted for the shiny new party promising to destroy the source of Germany's problems and bring about a new start for Germany. This, of course, turned out to be the Nazis. That was in 1995. Two years later Tony Blair became Prime Minister, and the rest is history.

Ben 1 week ago
If the government bring this in, it will be a medium for their leftist indoctrination. Though you say many children are concerned about political issues, the truth is that most of them are very naive when it comes to politics. The last thing these apatethetic children need is leftistm and centrism shoved down their throats. Let the children that are interested teach themselves and the ones that are not stay away.

KeithS 6 hours ago
I won't vote for this. I believe schoolchildren would be indoctrinated by (mainly left wing) teachers.

nickpringle 5 days ago

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MaxPerryment 5 days ago

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Aakash_B 6 days ago

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m_bilal 1 week ago

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Aakash_B 1 week ago

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andyhamflett 1 week ago

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@iaindale Interested in your take on this: http://bit.ly/a8Ji7r. Lots of young people we work with think it's a crucial missing element.