Civics

This subject is understood to mean the need for, and the creation of, law and order in any society.

Grade 1
Awarded to Boys who have attended regularly a course of instruction and show an understanding of:
1 .	The need for rules to order a society, which may be a club, a BB Company, a football team or a country.
2.	The acceptance by the society of a ruling council, committee or Parliament.
3.	Means of enforcing the rules - penalties and rewards.
4.	The need for a system of financing the activities of the society - subscriptions (taxes), the treasurer (Chancellor).
5.	Examples of the way in which these general features apply to, e.g.:
	A Sports Club. A BB Company. A small town or village. A country.
PRACTICAL:
	Draw up a set of rules for a society or club (which may, for example, be within the BB Company).

Grade 2
Awarded to Boys who have attended regularly a course of instruction and who show an elementary knowledge of the way in which the broad ideas outlined in 1-4 above apply to Great Britain, i.e.:
1 .	The civil law as a set of rules to regulate conduct between individuals. The criminal law as a set of rules to regulate conduct of concern to society at large.
2.	National and Local Government, relationship between Government, Parliament and local Authorities
3.	The function of Police, Courts, Judges and Magistrates. Independence of the Judiciary, distinction between civil and criminal courts.
4.	Rates and Taxes. Benefits for the citizen, e.g., Health Service, Libraries, Education, Defence, etc.
PRACTICAL:
	Take a current national or local topic from a newspaper and draw up the main direction of the legislation the Boys would like to see enacted.

Grade 3
Awarded to Boys who hold Grade 2, have attended regularly a course of instruction, and who show knowledge of items 1-4 in the Grade 1 syllabus as applied to a comparison between Great Britain and other Countries, e.g.:
	A Commonwealth Country, e.g., Australia. An Independent Country, e.g., USA. A new or Third World Country, e.g., an African or Asian state. A One-party state, e.g., USSR.

The major points of comparison would be:
1 .	The long traditions built up over many centuries in Great Britain, e.g.:
	(a)	Common Law.
	(b)	Unwritten constitution.
	(c)	Public rights of way.
	(d)	Honours system.
2.	The openness of the British system, e.g.:
	(a)	Parliament.
	(b)	Question time.
	(c)	Elections.
	(d)	Open meetings of Local Councils.
	(e)	Open Courts.
PRACTICAL:
	Either
	Visit a court or council session or a meeting of a council committee.
	or
	Consult the minutes of a council meeting or a council committee meeting in the public library.
	and
	Prepare a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings and notes to illustrate the theme of the visit or research.