How does the Government spend its money?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what the Government spends money on and how it makes spending decisions.
Key learning points
- The Government allocates funding to essential public services, including health, education, defence and infrastructure.
- Financial decisions are determined by the Treasury and debated in Parliament to uphold democratic accountability.
- Spending priorities are influenced by societal needs, economic conditions and long-term fiscal strategies.
- Ongoing debates consider whether increased investment should be directed more to sectors such as the NHS or housing.
- Government spending seeks to balance economic growth, public welfare and fiscal responsibility.
Keywords
Budget - the Government's yearly financial plan, showing how much money it will collect and spend on public services like healthcare, education and transport
Treasury - the Government department responsible for managing the country's finances
Common misconception
The only person in charge of finances in the UK is the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
There is a whole structure of people in charge of the UK economy within the Treasury, including the Prime Minister who is the First Lord of the Treasury.
Teacher tip
There may be some current debates happening in the news about the economy which you could include in the lesson to allow pupils the chance to critically evaluate different sources of material when debating financial affairs.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.People pay to qualify for benefits and the state pension.
Q2.Which of the following is not primarily funded by taxation?
Q3.Which government department does the Chancellor of the Exchequer oversee?
Q4. is a progressive tax, meaning the more money you earn, the higher percentage of tax you pay.
Q5.Which of the following taxes would be a flat tax?
Q6.Match the income tax bands to the relevant tax rates.
0%
20%
40%
45%
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to their correct definitions.
the Government's yearly financial plan for income and spending
the Government department managing national finances
public facilities such as roads, bridges and transport networks
government decisions on taxation and spending to affect the economy
Q2.Who is responsible for debating and approving government spending plans?
Q3.Government spending priorities are influenced by conditions, societal needs and long-term financial planning strategies.
Q4.Who is responsible for making decisions about the UK’s financial plans?
Q5.On which of these areas is the largest amount of UK Government funding spent?
Q6.Why were some people unhappy about the furlough scheme introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns?
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: How does the Government spend its money?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: How does the Government spend its money?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the How does the economy work? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.