Teachers are being offered some online help with citizenship teaching thanks to a web service from Schoolsnet.com. from today.

The subject is being taught in schools for the first time this term and covers a variety of issues that have previously been incorporated into other national curriculum subjects. It deals with topics ranging from international development and democracy in schools, to euthanasia and environmental action.

In response to teacher demand for online resources to support the teaching of the new subject, Schoolsnet has focused the key areas of its site on citizenship.

Schoolsnet which offers a comprehensive array of learning resources and a guide to more than 11,000 educational websites, will look specifically at the new subject in order to raise awareness of its aims and objectives, and help teachers, pupils and parents negotiate its introduction with confidence.

Conscious of the increasing demands on teachers' time, and the growing use of the internet in the classroom and at home for educational purposes, Schoolsnet will specifically highlight the material that can provide the most effective assistance to everyone involved in the teaching of citizenship, both in and out of school.

Greg Hadfield, Schoolsnet's chairman and editor-in-chief, said: "Schoolsnet recognises the importance of citizenship and the role it can play in raising awareness of issues such as international development and community learning among pupils in the UK."

"We are also alert, however, to the challenges a new subject can present to teachers in the intial stages of its implementation. Schoolsnet's focus on citizenship will ease some of these challenges and offer some excellent resources to aid teachers, pupils and parents achieve the most from the new subject."

Jenny Talbot, chief executive of the Institute for Citizenship, said: "There is no time to lose in preparing for the introduction of this important new subject. Schoolsnet is to be congratulated for providing such timesaving and practical help and support. Links to other sites and examples of effective practice already happening in schools will be particularly useful."