KS4 Citizenship Curriculum (England)

The whole key stage 4 citizenship programme of study from the national curriculum in England, with statutory and non-statutory parts clearly marked. Tick statements to plan a lesson.

Years
Year 10, Year 11
Ages
14–16
Statutory statements
9
Source
National curriculum in England: citizenship
Last checked
2026-10-20

Current. The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review (Nov 2025) says a revised national curriculum will be published by spring 2027 for first teaching from September 2028.

Teaching one year group? Open its TIP: Year 10 Citizenship · Year 11 Citizenship.

Key stage 4 9 statutory statements

Introduction to Key stage 4 (official text)

Teaching should build on the key stage 3 programme of study to deepen pupils’ understanding of democracy, government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Pupils should develop their skills to be able to use a range of research strategies, weigh up evidence, make persuasive arguments and substantiate their conclusions. They should experience and evaluate different ways that citizens can act together to solve problems and contribute to society.

Pupils should be taught about:

Key stage 4 Statutory

Pupils should be taught about:

  • parliamentary democracy and the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, including the power of government, the role of citizens and Parliament in holding those in power to account, and the different roles of the executive, legislature and judiciary and a free press
  • the different electoral systems used in and beyond the United Kingdom and actions citizens can take in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond
  • other systems and forms of government, both democratic and non-democratic, beyond the United Kingdom
  • local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world
  • human rights and international law
  • the legal system in the UK, different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems
  • diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding
  • the different ways in which a citizen can contribute to the improvement of their community, to include the opportunity to participate actively in community volunteering, as well as other forms of responsible activity
  • income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent

Read the programme of study on GOV.UK

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: citizenship programmes of study for key stages 3 and 4 (GOV.UK), © Crown copyright.

Statements in the curriculum lists are copied word for word from GOV.UK; everything else on this page (headings, notes, summaries) is written by us. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education or the Standards and Testing Agency. Always check the official documents linked on this page.

Questions teachers ask

What is in the KS4 citizenship curriculum?

9 statutory statements in 1 section. Schools must teach the statutory content by the end of the key stage.