The Young Citizen's Passport is set-out in magazine form

The subject is intended to encourage young people to develop a greater sense of social responsibility and to counter racism and intolerance.

The textbook produced by the CSV - Active Citizenship - uses an American approach called "service" learning.

Pupils are encouraged to think about the issues and problems in their community and school, a spokesman said.

"This may involve introducing peer mentoring for such problems as bullying or setting up a working group to renovate a local playground which is run down," he explained.

The practical activities outlined were piloted in 24 schools across London and the south east.

UK democracy

The book by the Citizenship Foundation, Understanding Citizenship, focuses on the political element, examining the history of democracy in the UK.

The Institute of Education at the University of London was also publishing five text books on citizenship.

Dr Roy Gardner, who co-edited the studies, said there was a worldwide need to rethink values and their place in society, which was in moral crisis.

"Citizenship and moral values should be integral to the curriculum from primary school upwards and not just relegated to the celebration of religious festivals," he said.

The former chief schools inspector, Chris Woodhead, said he feared that citizenship classes could lead to the teaching of "psychobabble".

"What is going to go if we are having 5% of teaching time now devoted to citizenship? Why do we need a new initiative?" he said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

But Mr Blunkett said the classes would adopt a strictly practical approach to the problems likely to face young people as they went out in the world.

And Lord Phillips, president of the Citizenship Foundation, said: "The notion that this is all about the Orwellian framing of the minds of youth to be compliant with the mind of government is such tosh I cannot find the words to debunk it."