Year 11 Citizenship: What to Teach (England)

Your Teacher Information Pack for Year 11 Citizenship: every national curriculum statement, the tests and dates that matter, and trusted links. Tick what you're teaching and send it straight into the lesson plan maker.

Country
England
Key stage
KS4
Ages
15–16
Status
Compulsory national curriculum subject at KS4
Source
National curriculum in England – Published 2013-09-11
Last checked
2026-10-20

Roughly the same age as US Grades 9–10 (approximate: the systems don't line up exactly).

The KS4 programme of study covers the whole key stage; it is not split by year.

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.

What to teach

Below is the official programme of study for Year 11 Citizenship: the statutory statements first, then any non-statutory notes and guidance, which schools don't have to follow.

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 this on GOV.UK

Assessments and key dates

There are no national tests or checks in Year 11. Your school will use its own assessments.

Trusted free resources

Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.

More packs

Other subjects in Year 11: English, Maths, Science, Computing, PE.

Find another TIP · National curriculum overview

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

Is citizenship compulsory in Year 11?

Yes. Citizenship is a compulsory national curriculum subject at KS4 in England (national curriculum framework, figure 1).

Is the Year 11 content set out year by year?

The KS4 programme of study covers the whole key stage; it is not split by year.