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Citizenship at key stage 4    (Year 10-11)

Unit 06: Business and enterprise
Section 3: What are the challenges for local businesses? Exploring town centre management and development

QCA

Objectives
Children should learn:
  • about the sorts of challenges faced by local businesses
  • to approach the issues/challenges in a creative and positive way
  • to work with others in a project team and contribute ideas
  • about opportunities for individuals and groups to bring about social change

Activities

Outcomes
Children:
  • Pupils take part in a project to investigate some of the challenges and issues facing local businesses. The example here looks at issues related to town centre management and development.
  • Using a range of sources of information, including local media (newspapers, websites, etc), pupils research and identify schemes that they feel could improve their local town centre, with a view to helping local businesses thrive. The town centre manager is invited into school to discuss the pupils' ideas and to share the latest plans for development.
  • Following the discussion, pupils work in teams, in effect acting as consultants/researchers for the town centre manager. Each team selects a possible scheme to investigate further, eg redeveloping an area of the town; providing secure cycle storage spaces; providing more facilities for shoppers (such as open or green rest/seating areas). Pupils devise a survey to discover what local residents, businesses and shoppers think about their chosen scheme. Their questions should be aimed at finding out the impact of the scheme on local business, including the advantages and disadvantages for a range of users.
  • Pupils conduct their research in a variety of ways. They visit the town centre to carry out interviews, and could also collect photographic evidence or sketch maps.
  • The teams analyse their findings. What would be the impact of their scheme on the town centre, ie what would be the advantages and disadvantages for businesses, shoppers, residents and other users? Pupils prepare a presentation for the town centre manager and other members of the local community.
  • Pupils evaluate their learning experiences. What went well? What didn't? What have they learnt from the exercise, as individuals and as teams? What would they do differently next time?
  • identify some of the challenges facing local businesses
  • contribute to a project as part of a team, in a creative way
  • analyse and present their findings to a target audience
  • reflect on their participation in the activity

Points to note
  • This activity could be run as an off-timetable day. Alternatively, activities could be devised with the help of local companies, who could set a business challenge. Education Business Link Organisations and business studies teachers could also help develop activities.
  • The Association of Town Centre Management can provide relevant information and support to schools.
  • This project could be linked with Neighbourhood Renewal Programmes. Neighbourhood Managers have been established in some regions; see www.neighbourhood.dtlr.gov.uk.
  • The student council could discuss the issues raised and contribute their ideas and views as part of the enquiry.
  • Link with geography: this type of project is sometimes carried out as part of GCSE geography coursework. It may therefore be helpful to liaise with the geography department.

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
1. What businesses are there in my area?
2. How does a business operate?
3. What are the challenges for local businesses? Exploring town centre management and development