Citizenship at key stage 4    (Year 10-11)

• Ask pupils to research their local business environment. Local newspapers, telephone directories and town or community websites may be helpful for this. Encourage them to look at a range of organisations large and small, private and public. What businesses are represented in the area?
• Groups of pupils visit a range of local businesses to find out about the local business environment. They investigate the products and services, how they are made or provided, who buys them and what the business does that other businesses do not. Why do these businesses operate in the area? What are the skills needs of local businesses? How are local businesses financed? Pupils consider the advantages and disadvantages for businesses of operating in the area, eg a good skills base, closeness to components, tax incentives, good transport links, the high cost of property, and the impact of the business on the local community, eg it provides employment opportunities, supports a local charity, has a positive or negative impact on the environment. They find out whether the business is publicly or privately owned. Is it listed, eg on the Stock Exchange or Alternative Investment Market (AIM)? If the business closed, what kind of impact would there be on the local community? What kind of advice and support services does the business use?
• Each group records its findings and shares them with the other groups, using ICT to prepare presentations.

• Pupils run a mini-enterprise activity, eg set up a mini-company to produce a radio programme, run a school or community service, or plan and organise a school social event or visit. Pupils consider the parameters within which the enterprise activity should operate, eg resources needed, timescale, costs and expected revenues, budget, advertising needed, demand of the client group or market, legal considerations (health and safety issues, etc), and put together a business plan. The project team should also discuss and agree on everyone's different roles and responsibilities. In running the event, pupils keep simple accounts to work out whether they have made a profit or whether they are sticking to their budget. A local business representative could act as an adviser.
• In a debriefing session and subsequent write-up, pupils analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals and teams in carrying out the activity. They consider how the activity could have been carried out more effectively, and what they might do differently next time.
• Pupils identify how these skills can be used in a variety of future roles.

• 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?