Taking informed action: run a citizenship project

The National Curriculum wants you to use what you know to take informed action. Here is how to run an effective citizenship project.

Practise this lesson free (6 questions)

Choose and research

Choose an issue that matters to your school or community, such as litter, road safety or loneliness among older people.
Research it carefully: use primary research (your own surveys or interviews) and secondary research (reliable sources such as council reports or official statistics).
Find out who has the power to change things and what different people think: these are the stakeholders.

Plan with a clear aim

Set a clear, specific aim, such as 'Get the council to add a bin at the park gate by June', not 'Make the park nicer'.
Choose methods that suit your aim and audience: a petition, a letter to a councillor, an assembly, an awareness campaign, a fundraising event or a volunteering day.
Share out roles in your team and make a timeline.

Act, then evaluate

Carry out your plan and keep evidence (photos, numbers, replies).
Then evaluate: Did you meet your aim? What was the impact? What worked and what did not? What would you do differently?
Measure where you can, for example: 'We collected 220 signatures and the council agreed to a new bin.'
Worked example

A group's aim is 'Stop litter.' Rewrite it as a clearer aim and suggest one way to measure success.

  1. 'Stop litter' is too vague to measure.
  2. A clearer aim: 'Cut litter on the school field by half by the end of term, through more bins and a poster campaign.'
  3. Measure it: count bags of litter collected each week, before and after.

Answer: For example: 'Halve the litter on the school field by the end of term'; measure by counting litter weekly before and after.

Key idea

Informed action means researching an issue, finding stakeholders and who holds power, setting a clear aim, choosing suitable methods, acting as a team and evaluating impact with evidence.

Key words
Community
A group of people who share something, such as a place, a faith or an interest.
Petition
A request for action signed by many people, sent to a decision-maker such as Parliament or a council.
Councillor
An elected member of a local council who represents a ward.

All KS3 Citizenship key terms and definitions →

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2 more questions

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  1. Which of these is secondary research?

    1. Reading a council report
    2. Carrying out your own survey
    3. Interviewing local people yourself
    4. Counting litter in the park yourself
    Show the answer

    Answer: Reading a council report

    Secondary research uses information collected by others.

  2. Pupils campaign for a new crossing. Which of these is a stakeholder?

    1. A person in another country with no link
    2. A fictional character
    3. Parents who walk their children to school there
    4. A shop in another city
    Show the answer

    Answer: Parents who walk their children to school there

    Stakeholders are people affected by or involved in an issue.

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Sources and references

Checked by the GCSE-ready editorial team, 23 October 2026. Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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