Citizenship
Understanding finance is a crucial part of taking an active role in society
Citizenship education enables young people to become informed citizens, aware of their rights, duties and responsibilities. Students are given the opportunity to discuss topical and controversial issues that affect them as individuals and their communities. They are encouraged to take an active role in the life of their school, local community and wider society.
Within citizenship students learn about money that is raised through taxation and its role in the economy. They explore some of the dilemmas involved when there are limitless demands on a finite amount of public money.
Many personal finance topics naturally lead to discussions about broader citizenship issues. Learning that we don’t keep all the money we earn and understanding wage slips and deductions provides an excellent starting point for exploring how decisions are made about allocating public money to areas such as the National Health Service, education and the police.
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3 students learn “how economic decisions are made, including where public money comes from and who decides how it is spent” (Citizenship Range and content 3h).
Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4 this is further developed through exploration of “the economy in relation to citizenship, including decisions about the collection and allocation of public money” (Citizenship Range and Content 3j).
