Your island

For a number of years schools in Jersey have been teaching local studies in one form or another but now Citizenship is being added to the curriculum of island schools.

Island history will play a part in the lessons

The classes will be a mix of politics, community and history with the aim of giving children a better understanding of their island and its unique make-up.

It's a move that's been welcomed by the Education Minister, Senator Mike Vibert

He told BBC Jersey that "It is to try to install in all our young people in the island a broad based knowledge of the island, what makes up the island its political life, it's parish life, it's history.

Pupils at Le Rocquire learning about Journalism

"We've been doing this for a number of years in our schools but some schools have been doing it differently to others and what we're doing now is taking all the best practices and embedding it in the curriculum.

"We think this is vital. If we're going to preserve the culture of the island and keep Jersey special for the future it is vital our young people know what makes it special."

Jersey Students

We visited Haut Vallee School in St Helier to see what some of the pupils thought of the idea of Citizenship Lessons.

A selection of debating points up for discussion

One student, Debbie Duarte told us "I think it would help because at our age now we don't know much about politics and if it was brought into the curriculum it will help people of the younger years and older y ears build up an opinion".

Sophie Hayes said "I think it would help, because it would help lower levels of racism and that is quite a problem because lots of people are moving here from other parts of the world".

Haut Vallee School teacher, Francis Courtness welcomes the addition to the curriculum. She told us "it's being called citizenship but it also has a lot of things that we've been asking for a long time for aobut the polticial system in Jersey.

"We think it's really important that the children know about their parochial system but also about the States and up until now we really haven't had the resources to make it as interesting as we would like to"

Over to you

So the islands Education Minister likes the idea, students like the idea and so do teachers. What do you think of the idea?

Should Jersey's children be taught about the islands history, politics and way of life as part of their studies? What about Jerriais should that be part of the curriculum as well?

What else should be included in Citizenship classes?