Cover lesson · PSE / Well-being · Year 9 · Advanced
LNF: Numeracy → Financial literacy · DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: pupils audit two monthly payslips from an invented Welsh leisure centre, spot a 3.5-hour overtime underpayment error, calculate percentage pension deductions and net take-home pay, and compare a 50/30/20 budget against a spreadsheet model for a £600 driving-lesson fund.
Board: open the supply teacher presentation (/cover-lesson-resources/presentations/comparing-payslips-deductions-and-saving-plans-for-a-first-job.html) for board slides, timers and spoken script.
Print: this worksheet (one per pupil) and the stimulus sheet “Caerphilly Leisure Centre: Sample Monthly Payslips and Savings Spreadsheet” (one between two). No computers are needed. Calculators are helpful.
Run: 5 min settling starter · 5 min payroll terms · 10 min Step 1 auditing both payslips · 10 min Step 2 comparing 50/30/20 budget vs spreadsheet model · 12 min Step 3 writing payroll email and savings advice · 5 min Step 4 spreadsheet cell-reference modelling · 3 min plenary check. Total 50 minutes.
Collect: this named worksheet at the end of the lesson. Keep stimulus sheets for reuse.
Quick checks: Megan is missing 3.5 overtime hours (3.5 × £15.00 = £52.50 owed), making her Corrected Gross Pay £950.00; her 4% pension is £38.00 + £12.00 pass = £50.00 deductions, giving £900.00 Net Pay. Rhodri’s 5% pension is £88.00; Total Deductions = £287.00; Net Pay = £1,473.00. Plan A saves £180/month (£540 in 3 months); Plan B saves £200/month (£600 in 3 months).
Understanding a payslip is an essential life skill when you start part-time or full-time work. You will check two sample monthly payslips from Caerphilly Leisure Centre against staff timesheets, spot an overtime underpayment of 3.5 hours, calculate percentage workplace pension deductions and net take-home pay, and use a spreadsheet model to work out how 18-year-old lifeguard Megan can save £600 for driving lessons in 3 months.
(a) Audit Payslip 1 (Megan Price, Pool Lifeguard): Use Section 1 of the stimulus sheet. Megan worked 10.0 overtime hours on her signed timesheet, but her printed payslip only paid her for 6.5 overtime hours.
1. Missing overtime hours: 10.0 − 6.5 = __________ hours · Missing overtime pay owed: __________ hrs × £15.00 = £__________
2. Complete Megan’s Corrected October Payslip below:
| Megan’s Corrected Payslip Line | Working | Amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Lifeguard Pay (80.0 hrs at £10.00/hr) | 80 × £10.00 | £800.00 |
| Corrected Overtime Pay (10.0 hrs at £15.00/hr) | 10 × £15.00 (or £97.50 + £52.50) | |
| Corrected Gross Pay | Basic Pay + Corrected Overtime Pay | |
| Income Tax (PAYE) & National Insurance (NI) | Below tax and NI thresholds | £0.00 |
| Workplace Pension (4% of Corrected Gross Pay) | £950.00 × 0.04 | |
| Staff Gym & Swim Pass | Fixed monthly deduction | £12.00 |
| Total Deductions | Pension + Staff Pass | |
| Corrected Net Pay (Take-Home Pay) | Corrected Gross Pay − Total Deductions |
(b) Complete Payslip 2 (Rhodri Evans, Cafe Supervisor): Use Section 2 of the stimulus sheet. Rhodri’s Gross Pay is £1,760.00 (£1,680.00 basic + £80.00 overtime).
| Rhodri’s Payslip Line | Working | Amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Pay | £1,680.00 + £80.00 | £1,760.00 |
| Income Tax (PAYE) | From payslip | £142.00 |
| National Insurance (NI) | From payslip | £57.00 |
| Workplace Pension (5% of £1,760.00 Gross Pay) | £1,760.00 × 0.05 | |
| Total Deductions | £142.00 + £57.00 + Pension | |
| Rhodri’s Net Pay (Take-Home Pay) | £1,760.00 − Total Deductions |
(a) Use Section 4 of the stimulus sheet. Megan’s Corrected Net Pay is £900.00 per month, and her target is to save £600.00 in 3 months for driving lessons. Complete the comparison table:
| Budget line (based on £900.00 Net Pay) | Plan A: Standard 50 / 30 / 20 Rule | Plan B: Trimmed Wants Spreadsheet Model |
|---|---|---|
| Needs (50% of £900.00) | £450.00 | £450.00 |
| Wants (monthly spending) | £250.00 (trimmed by £20/month) | |
| Monthly Savings into Driving Fund | ||
| Total saved after 3 months | ||
| Reaches £600.00 target in 3 months? (Yes / No & shortfall) |
(b) Spreadsheet formulas: Look at the cell rows and columns in Section 4 of the stimulus sheet (`B2` holds `900.00`, `B5` holds Plan A monthly savings, `C5` holds Plan B monthly savings). Write the spreadsheet formula (starting with =) for:
1. Cell B3 (50% of Net Pay in B2): =____________________
2. Cell B6 (Total saved after 3 months under Plan A): =____________________
3. Cell C7 (Number of months to reach £600 under Plan B): =____________________
(a) Polite payroll query (3 to 4 sentences): Write a short email from Megan to the Leisure Centre payroll officer explaining the overtime mistake on her October payslip. State the hours on her timesheet (10.0), the hours printed (6.5), the missing hours (3.5 at £15.00/hr), the £52.50 owed, and her corrected gross pay (£950.00).
(b) Financial advice (3 to 4 sentences): Megan wonders whether she should opt out of her 4% workplace pension (£38.00/month) to save faster, or stay in the pension and use Plan B. Advise her on what to do and why.
Explain in 2 to 3 sentences why a spreadsheet model should use cell references (such as =B2*0.20) instead of typing a fixed number (such as 180) when modelling monthly budgets that change when overtime varies.