Teachers urged to look into Tax Matters

With schools across the country getting ready for the new school year, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is urging teachers to log onto its new, free online resource for teachers – Tax Matters.

Specifically designed for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), Business Studies and Citizenship teachers of pupils aged 11-19, the Tax Matters resource contains three new teaching modules, to help secondary school pupils gain an understanding of how tax is raised, what the main taxes are, and what they ultimately pay for.

The three modules – which cover Income Tax, National Insurance, and Tax and Society –use fun, interactive features such as videos, quizzes and games, as well as key facts and figures, to help teachers bring the subject to life in the classroom.

There are also accompanying, ready-made lesson plans for each module available online, for both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 pupils – all packed with ideas for using Tax Matters with students.

All of the materials are available free by visiting www.taxmatters.hmrc.gov.uk. You can also find them on the Personal Finance Education Group (pfeg) website at www.pfeg.org/teaching_resources/resources/tax_matters.html, where they have been awarded the pfeg quality mark.

HMRC’s Caroline Smith said:

“By the end of the modules, students will be well equipped to understand what tax is all about. They’ll be clear why we pay tax in the first place, and what it means for them on a practical level, such as why it’s important to keep hold of their National Insurance number and how to understand their tax code.

“Tax Matters was developed with the help of teachers, and so reflects what they need on the ground. It’s interactive, fun and free to download, so we’d urge anyone teaching financial education this year to give it a try.”

YWCA welcomes compulsory PSHE

YWCA England & Wales welcomes the announcement of compulsory personal, social and health education (PSHE) in schools. Making PSHE, and within it sex and relationships education (SRE), compulsory is a positive step in ensuring young people are better informed when making choices about their lives.

“Those who have questioned the starting age of five should bear in mind that programmes will be age appropriate.” says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive YWCA. “This programme is about informing children and young people about safe and healthy relationships and reducing ignorance around sex. The programmes are designed with parents to give children high quality education. This allows them to make informed choices later in their lives that are right for them.”

The young women the YWCA works with, including hundreds of teenage mums, tell us that their sex and relationships education was too little, too late and too biological. They feel so strongly about the importance of good quality SRE they regularly take their messages out on the streets and in classrooms, urging their peers to get informed about their sexual health and personal relationships.

The Government should be congratulated for listening to the voices of young people seeking guidance in today's complicated world.