About the Unit
This Unit has 2 sections designed to cover work in either Yr 10 and 11 or as a self contained Consumer Education package deliverable as an intense experience.

This unit has been developed by Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards Service in conjunction with Cambridgeshire PSHE Service and all necessary teaching notes and activities can be accessed via the Ask Cedric website.

Unit 1 - Practical Consumer Law
Students will look at the formation of contracts, how their rights are affected by the Sale of Goods Act and learn when they are justified to complain about goods they have purchased. They will also look at the law surrounding the purchasing of services and look at the dangers of buying from doorstep sellers.

Students will also learn about the different way in which they can resolve complaints and the procedure for taking a case through the small claims process in the County Court.

Unit 2 - Personal Finance
Students learn about financial decision making, money management and how to use a range of financial tools and services. This includes learning about and how to assess the different forms of financial advice and help available to them. They develop an understanding of the wider social, moral, ethical and environmental consequences of personal finance decisions.

All of these Units address the following aspects of the key stage 4 Citizenship programme of study:

Knowledge and Understanding about becoming informed Citizens
Pupils should be taught about:

1a the legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society and how they relate to citizens, including the role and operation of the criminal and civil justice systems

1c the work of parliament, the government and the courts in making and shaping the law

1e how the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services

1h the rights and responsibilities of consumers, employers and employees

Developing skills of enquiry and communication
Pupils should be taught to:

2a think about topical, political, spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues, problems and events by analysing information and its sources, including ICT based sources

2b justify orally and in writing a personal opinion about such issues, problems or events

2c contribute to group and exploratory class discussions and take part in debates

Developing skills of participation and responsible action
Pupils should be taught to:

3a use their imagination to consider other people's experiences and be able to think about, express and explain views that are not their own

3b negotiate, decide and take part responsibly in both school and community-based activities

3c reflect on the process of participation

At the end of KS4:
Most pupils will have an awareness about how contracts are made and will understand that legislation such as Sale of Goods Act and Supply of Goods and Services Act gives them extra legal rights. They will understand when they have a justified complaint and understand the process that they can go through in order to try and resolve it. They will be aware of their own personal finance and understand how they can budget and what different credit options mean to them.

Some pupils will not have made so much progress and will: have some understanding of the law relating to the purchasing of goods and services but will find some difficulty understanding the processes for pursuing their legal rights. These students will have a basic awareness of their own personal finance and be able to produce basic budget information for themselves.

Some pupils will have progressed further and will: have a clear understanding of their legal rights when they make contracts and be able to assess how they can best act to resolve a problem for themselves and others. They will be able to understand the importance of budgeting and the implications of the different credit available as well as having a basic understanding of their rights under the Consumer Credit Act.

It is helpful if pupils have:

• Experience of speaking in front of others
  
• Small groups work
  
• Individual and groups research
  
• Knowledge of how to gather information from books, articles and from the internet
  
• The ability to critically evaluate literature
  

These Units will offer opportunities to introduce/reinforce the following Speaking and Listening learning objectives

Speaking

• Reviewing their strengths and limitations when speaking to different audiences and in different contexts
  
• Presenting a talk which holds the attention of an unfamiliar audience

Listening

• Identify the underlying themes, implications and issues raised by a talk
  
• Recognise how people use language to signal their status or to exert power over others

These units will offer opportunities to introduce/reinforce the following Text Level learning objectives

Writing

• Integrate diverse kinds of information into a coherent account using formal and impersonal language
  
• Explain complex processes and ideas effectively and economically in print and on screen
  
• Present a personal view with clarity and conviction

Use persuasive techniques and rhetoric to gain the attention and influence the responses of readers

Reading

• Collate and synthesise information from a range of sources of shaping material to meet the reader's needs
  
• Evaluate the presentation, reliability and validity of information available through print, ICT and other media sources

Explore the ways the nature and the purpose of the media products can influence presentation, content and meaning and how audiences reactions may vary.

This Unit has clear links to other subjects within the wider curriculum, including:

• Citizenship
  
• PSHE
  
• Maths
  
• History
  
• ICT
  
• Geography
  
• Economics
  

Every suggested teaching area on the teaching plan is linked to:

Teaching Notes
Suggested Teaching Activities
Suitable materials on other websites

You may also wish to speak to your own local Trading Standards Department for help and advice on Consumer Education. You can find your local office in the telephone directory or by typing in your School's postcode on the Trading Standards Institute website.

Education for financial capability through personal finance education contributes to consumer education by enabling students to:

• make independent and informed decisions about budgeting, spending, saving, investing, using credit and obtaining value for money
  
• understand their own and other's needs and to consider the effects of their decisions on individuals, groups, families and communities.

Financial capability encompasses three interrelated themes

• financial knowledge and understanding is about helping young people to understand the concept of money;
  
• financial skills and competence is very much concerned with day-to-day money management and thinking about planning for the future;
  
• financial responsibility is about the wider impact of money and personal financial decisions.

The DfES and QCA have identified the teaching of personal finance to develop financial capability as an important aspect of the PSHE and Citizenship framework at all key stages. Additional guidance is given in Financial Capability through Personal Finance Education: Guidance for Key stage 3 and 4. The publication outlines the place of financial capability in the whole school curriculum, identifies what it might look like at each key stage and suggests the best methods for delivering.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA)
The FSA has a statutory duty to promote understanding of the financial system, a responsibility that includes pupils and students as well as adults. The aim is to provide individuals with the knowledge, aptitude and skills necessary to become questioning and informed consumers of financial services and manage their finances effectively. To be successful in meeting this objective it is crucial to work with teachers in order to help young people improve their financial capability as part of their preparation for adult life.

The FSA supports the work of teachers through:

• educational resources
  
• web site - www.fsa.gov.uk/consumer/teaching
  
• free fact sheets and booklets

For more information contact Steve Stillwell
Tel: 020 7676 4516
e.mail: steve.stillwell@fsa.gov.uk

Personal Finance Education Group (pfeg)
Pfegs's goal is to promote and facilitate education of all UK school pupils about financial matters so they can make independent and informed decisions about their personal finances and long term security. www.pfeg.org lists teaching resources by age and key stage and shows how each is linked to the curriculum. The pfeg Quality Mark for recommended teaching resources a is designed to raise standards and enable teachers to feel confident about the educational relevance of teaching resources.