Pupils could take allegiance oath to the Queen

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters) - Schoolchildren should take part in a "coming of age" ceremony at the end of their studies to mark the transition to adult citizenship, former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said on Tuesday.

The ceremony could include, for example, an oath of allegiance to the Queen.

Goldsmith also proposed a new public holiday to celebrate "Britishness" along the lines of Australia Day.

"We already teach schoolchildren what citizenship means," he told BBC television. "But it would make sense to have a coming of age ceremony which marks the moment they move from being a student of citizenship to being a real citizen in themselves."

Goldsmith was asked by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last July to conduct a review of British citizenship.

He said it would be up to the government, if it accepted his recommendations, to decide the details of the ceremony, such as whether it should include an oath of allegiance to the Queen.

But he said he personally was in favour of such an oath.

"The point is to find a raft of different ways that we can create a greater sense of shared belonging in this country .., for people to understand more clearly what it means to be a citizen of this country, what the rights are and what the responsibilities are as well."