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Lesson 4 of 4
  • Year 4

Ageism

I can explain what ageism is and how we can safely challenge it.

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View unit
Lesson 4 of 4
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New
  • Year 4

Ageism

I can explain what ageism is and how we can safely challenge it.

Download all

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Ageism is prejudice or the unfair treatment of people simply because of their age.
  2. Stereotypes around age, e.g., older people can't learn new things, can lead to prejudice.
  3. Ageism can have a negative impact on people, such as poor mental health or missed opportunities.
  4. A person's age is one of the characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010.
  5. By speaking up safely, being an ally and getting support from trusted adults if needed, we can challenge assumptions.

Keywords

  • Opportunity - the chance to try something new that could lead to good things

  • Ageism - treating someone unfairly or being unkind to them just because of how old or young they are

Common misconception

Ageism only impacts older people.

Ageism is prejudice against anyone because of their age, and it can affect young people as well as older people, for example, 'Young people are always glued to screens'.


To help you plan your year 4 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Ageism, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Emphasise that challenging discrimination is primarily an adult responsibility. Reinforce that pupils should always involve trusted adults rather than confronting alone.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means when someone judges or dislikes others unfairly, without knowing them?

Correct Answer: prejudice, prejudiced

Q2.
What does it mean to make an assumption about someone?

to get to know them really well first
Correct answer: to believe something about them without knowing if it's true
to ask them lots of questions about themselves
to treat them fairly and with respect

Q3.
Prejudice can lead to ...

Correct Answer: discrimination

Q4.
Which of these statements is true?

Correct answer: Prejudice still exists today, which is why we need to challenge it.
Prejudice only happened a long time ago and doesn't exist anymore.
Only adults can experience prejudice, not children.

Q5.
What does it mean to be an ally?

to keep quiet when you see something wrong happening
to ignore when someone is being unkind to others
Correct answer: to support and stand up for someone who is being treated unfairly

Q6.
The Equality Act 2010 is a law in the UK. What is its main purpose?

to make sure everyone has exactly the same hobbies and interests
Correct answer: to protect people from being treated unfairly because of their characteristics
to make sure everyone in the country is the same age but has different opinions

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does ageism mean?

being kind to people of every age
Correct answer: treating someone unfairly because of their age
when you celebrate your birthday
playing with someone the same age as you

Q2.
Which of these is an age stereotype?

Correct answer: saying "older people can’t learn new things"
asking for help from a teacher
listening to your grandparents’ stories
playing with a friend at school

Q3.
How can ageism make people feel?

happy
proud
Correct answer: left out
Correct answer: sad

Q4.
How does the Equality Act 2010 protect people from ageism?

Correct answer: Age is a protected characteristic, so it's illegal to discriminate based on age.
It says everyone must be exactly the same age to be treated fairly.
It says people can discriminate as long as they apologise afterwards.

Q5.
Ageism doesn’t just hurt older people - it can hurt people too.

Correct Answer: younger, young

Q6.
What is the safest way to challenge ageism?

confront the person on your own without telling anyone else
ignore it and hope it goes away by itself
Correct answer: speak up safely and be an ally
Correct answer: get support from trusted adults if needed