Plea for Gove to save lessons on citizenship in shake-up

A campaign to save citizenship lessons being scrapped in schools will be launched tomorrow.

Activists fear the subject will be abandoned as a result of a current review of the national curriculum, leaving England as the only country that doesn't teach young people about its political system.

Danny Bartlett, who is leading the campaign, is urging young people to petition Education Secretary Michael Gove to keep the subject compulsory.

He said: "In citizenship lessons students learn about parliamentary systems and the role of citizens in the judicial system. It is scary to think there would be nothing to replace this if the subject was not taught.

"Knowing how to change something in your society is one of the greatest freedoms we have."

Mr Bartlett, 25 from Bethnal Green, has set up campaign group Hands Up If You're Bored to improve the way citizenship is taught in schools and to keep it compulsory.

He wants young people to upload photos of themselves with their hands up to a "picture petition" that will be handed in to Mr Gove.

Radio One DJ Reggie Yates is supporting the campaign. He said: "I have worked closely with young people and what's clear is that they want their opinions to count."

A spokesman for the department for education said: "We are carrying out a root and branch review of the National Curriculum. It will recommend which subjects, including citizenship, should remain statutory and design new programmes of learning."