Overview
Students examine ways in which a fictional town council could spend its budget. They consider the concerns of different residents and analyse how the budget could be spent most effectively. Finally students present and justify their budgets, defending their decision making in front of ‘local residents’.
Aimed at KS4 or Post-16, by the end of the lesson students will:
- Describe the role of local government;
- Consider some of the competing demands on local council budgets;
- Present their ideas on how a local council budget should be spent, reflecting on the different needs of the community.
Acknowledgements:
More Lessons resources
Where do you stand?
Over a series of short sessions, pupils will have the opportunity to consider topical issues related to their school life. Pupils will consider the strength of arguments for and against…
Being Part of a School Community
During this lesson pupils recap what we mean by the term active citizen. They consider what qualities and skills an active citizen should have and explore how these skills and…
Democracy (Part 3): Why Do We Have Laws?
This lesson forms the final part of a three-part unit on democracy. Pupils learn about democracy and the rule of law. They discover the different roles of parliament, government and…
More Economics, Money and Managing Resources resources
The Economy Quiz
In this short, 15 minute activity students use all they have learnt from earlier lessons to complete a quiz...
Be Your Own Councillor
Students examine ways in which a fictional town council could spend its budget. They consider the concerns of different...
Employment Law (SmartLaw Subscription)
During this lesson students explore the law that applies to young workers and what they can do if they believe their legal rights at work are not being upheld. To…
More Politics and Democracy resources
Local and Central Government
This resource pack is the third of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
All at Sea: a story about fairness and the rule of law
During this lesson pupils use the story ‘All at Sea’ to explore how a group of citizens should organise a new society under a challenging set of circumstances. Each chapter…
Democracy Ambassadors
What was Democracy Ambassadors? Between April 2018 and March 2019 Young Citizens worked with youth leaders to recruit 1,000...
More KS4 (ages 14-16) resources
Social Media and the Law (KS4) (SmartLaw Subscription)
Students explore the law in relation to social media posts, the types of offences that people are committing (whether knowingly or not) and the consequences of these offences. Finally, students…
Sentencing Guidelines (SmartLaw Subscription)
This lesson asks students to consider the key findings of a harassment trial and conclude what sentence should be given to the guilty party. During the course of the lesson…
Who Owns Your Data?
This ready-to-teach double lesson pack is aimed at students in key stages 4 and 5. During the course of...
More KS5 (ages 16-18) resources
Biodiversity: Using the Law to Drive Change
During this lesson, students consider what biodiversity is, why it is essential to all life on Earth and what...
COVID and the Economy
During this session, students will critically examine some of the key economic considerations of the pandemic. They will explore...
Sentencing Myths (SmartLaw Subscription)
This short activity challenges young people’s perceptions of current sentencing guidelines. It can be run as a standalone activity or as an extension activity as part of a mock trial…