The Pathway is up and running! Session One Highlights...

18 schools from across London came together in East, South and West London to begin their year's development programme to bring the teaching and learning of citizenship education alive by connecting it to the communities they serve.

Students, teachers, parents, carers, governors and senior leaders from each school worked together, long into the evening, to vision their 'Citizen School' and get to grips with the year ahead, a year they are responsible for working together to plan and implement.



2009-2010 will see each school will see its students connecting to and listening to their community, creating ideas to solve key community issues, sharing their ideas with other schools, negotiating with power players, taking action to make their ideas happen, and celebrating the progress they have achieved.

Calling all Art Departments!

On Wednesday 25th November, thousands of leaders from London Citizens' communities will attend London Citizens’ Autumn Assembly at the prestigious Barbican Centre, to work together on issues that matter to our communities across the capital. Mayor Johnson has already confirmed his attendance.

We want to transform the venue to reflect the diversity of our alliance of schools, unions and faith and community groups. In addition to groups' performing around the centre, members of London Citizens have the opportunity to create/display artwork, and we would like the work of young people to be at the forefront of this - showcasing the very best our schools have to offer.

The artwork can be of variable format - paintings, photography, graphic design, collage etc - but needs to be mounted on standard A1 boards (594 x 841 mm). Each school is limited to 2 boards (though this may change depending on the number of schools wishing to display work), and the work will need to be given the green light by us before it can be included.

Please let Sebastien Chapleau (07970 527622, sebastien.chapleau@cof.org.uk) know by the end of half term if you are keen to get involved and what sort of work your students will try to produce before the beginning of November. We need to have a rough idea of what they’ll produce in order to start planning the layout. Work focusing on the themes of the Assembly - diverse communities working together for change and the common good, and a people's response to the economic crisis - will get priority.

Jamie Audsley starts as the Citizen Schools Organiser

Hi everyone, I hope you’ve had relaxing summers and best of luck with the start of term if you’re heading into school, or the return to work if not.

My name’s Jamie Audsley and I’ve just been recruited by Ben and the COF team as the new Citizen Schools Organiser. Thank you for the warm welcome from everyone I’ve met and spoken to so far, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know you all in the coming year and beyond.

With an additional organiser focused on the programme we’ll be able to increase support for schools and their communities connected to the work of Citizen Schools and London Citizens; ensuring that your effort to create active, informed and confident citizens is as effective as possible.

I’ll be working closely alongside Ben to help support and implement the four strands of Citizen Schools (Alliance, Pathway, Community and Award) and I’m especially excited about getting out and about to learn with you in a real and meaningful way.

Before starting in this role I’ve worked on democracy, education and youth projects at The Young Foundation and London Youth, and more recently, taught Geography and Science at Addington High School in South East Croydon. It feels like this role will really combine all the skills I’ve learnt to date!

After organising a cross school humanities day which had an “active citizenship” focus during my last year of teaching I believe in everything you’re doing and hope to be a messenger to those who haven’t discovered a piece of the action quite yet. I believe that only by connecting our young people, schools and communities will we succeed in supporting a vibrant society, and only through teaching the art of politics in action will our democracy flourish. In this role I hope I can work effectively with you in this effort and play a small part in this massively important work.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch – I’m on 02070439874 and 07866567945