"Citizenship courses" are there to make sure that children are prepared to do what they are told, regardless of their own knowledge and intuition, when they are told it.

"Work-based Learning" is the p[process of taking these "sheep" and pushing their education into a world where they fulfil the Labour Market requirements thus offering them a pre-defined and usually bleak work plan.

We have been entrusted with our children but we are failing them badly when we remove all creative and knowledge based education and replace it with a "Human Capital production line."

Force the government to give your child rent the opportunity that you yourself had. To be free thinking, free learning and unique individuals. Now is NOT The time to be excited about children getting a job flipping burgers.

Thursday 3nd November 2005 | ITN

More must be done to improve the quality and provision of citizenship courses in the UK, a report from Ofsted says today.

A report commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills says that citizenship programmes are proving positive, although some students cited them as "irrelevant or a distraction".

The report draws together the findings from a sample of 48 school sixth forms, general further education colleges (GFE), sixth form colleges, youth services and work-based learning providers taking part in the post-16 citizenship pilot programme.

The study finds that young people were "overwhelmingly positive" about their citizenship projects.

"All the successful projects benefited from carefully planned introduction and implementation. They were characterised by the enthusiasm and commitment of those leading them," says the report.

But Ofsted found areas where attention is required. Quality assurance was unsatisfactory in two fifths of projects, even though they were managed well in other respects.

Providers are being pressed to encourage and strengthen self-evaluation and reflection amongst citizenship teams.

"Evaluation and monitoring of the progress of citizenship programmes against action plans were weak. Funding was not always used wisely, for example, with too little attention to longer term development and sustainability," added the report.

The most successful projects included a core programme of learning, as well as opportunities for representation and practical citizenship activities.

"Clear, attainable aims and opportunities for accreditation of learning were also important features," added Ofsted.

"Programmes within work-based learning were most successful where they were integrated within provision and had direct vocational relevance."