Key Stage: KS2
Year group: Year 6
Age range: 10–11
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Maths / PSHE
Cost: Free

Learning aim

Pupils can identify three common online money scams (fake emails, fake adverts, pressure tactics) and explain what to do if they see one.

CURRICULUM National Curriculum links

PSHE Association KS2 L22: about the importance of asking for help; to identify whom to go to and where to find information about staying safe
Computing KS2: use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact
PSHE Association KS2 L25: about the role of money in our lives, including online

RESOURCES What you'll need

Examples of (fake but realistic) scam emails, adverts, and pop-ups on slides
"Spot the scam" worksheet with 6 examples
Class display poster: "What to do if you see a scam"
Online scam spotter worksheet

LESSON Lesson structure (45 minutes)

0–5 min
HOOK

Show a fake "Congratulations! You've won a £500 voucher! Click here now!" pop-up on the board. Ask: "Is this real?" Take answers. Most pupils know it's fake. Now ask: "How did you know?" Collect their reasoning on the board.

5–15 min
TEACH

Define a scam: "someone trying to trick you out of money or information." Introduce the three warning signs to look for: (1) Too good to be true (free £500, instant prize, easy money); (2) Urgent pressure (act now! only 5 minutes left! limited offer!); (3) Asks for personal information (your password, bank details, address). Show 3 example scams on slides, naming the warning signs in each.

15–30 min
GUIDED

Pairs work through 6 examples on the worksheet. Some are real (legitimate things like school payment requests), some are scams (fake prize emails, suspicious links). For each, pupils circle warning signs and write "SCAM" or "REAL". After: share answers as a class, building a discussion about why each one is or isn't a scam.

30–40 min
CHALLENGE

Show a trickier scenario: "An email arrives that looks like it's from a real shop you've used. It says your account has a problem and asks you to click a link to fix it. The shop's logo is in the email. Is it real?" Discuss: this is "phishing" — scams that copy real companies. Best advice: never click links in emails — go directly to the shop's real website.

40–45 min
PLENARY

Build the "What to do" poster together. Rules: (1) Stop and think before clicking; (2) Tell a grown-up if anything looks odd; (3) Never give your password, bank details, or address to anyone you don't know. Final question: "What's the safest thing to do if you're not sure?" (Tell an adult.)

DIFFERENTIATION Adapting for all learners

Support (working below ARE)

Use 4 examples instead of 6. Pre-mark which are scams; pupils explain WHY rather than identifying scam vs real.

Stretch (working above ARE)

Pupils design their own "spot the scam" poster for the school corridor, including all three warning signs and at least one example.

SEND SEND adaptations

For pupils with autism: provide a clear written rule "any email asking for password = SCAM" rather than situational judgement. For pupils with EAL: use visual examples with minimal text.

EAL EAL support

Vocabulary: "scam", "phishing", "trick", "warning signs", "urgent", "suspicious". Sentence stem: "This is a scam because ___."

ASSESSMENT Assessment criteria

Pupils can: (1) name three warning signs of an online scam; (2) identify a scam in a given example; (3) explain what to do if they see one. Exit ticket: "If I get an email that says ___, I will ___."

HOME Homework pack

Four critical activities about staying safe with money online. ~20 minutes.

Spot the scam

What pupils do: Look at three made-up examples of online messages (parent can find or you can imagine): (a) "You've won a £100 voucher — click here!" (b) "Update your password — click here urgently." (c) "Your dad asked me to send him £20. Send me your PIN." Write 2 red flags for each.

Expected output: A table with 3 messages and 6 red flags.

Marking guidance: 1 mark per identified red flag. 6 marks total.

Password rules

What pupils do: Write 4 rules for making a strong password. Then write 2 things you should NEVER do with a password.

Expected output: A "Strong Password Rules" poster with 6 rules.

Marking guidance: 1 mark per rule. 6 marks total.

Trusted adult plan

What pupils do: Make a list of 3 trusted adults you would tell if something online about money worried you. Then write what the FIRST thing you would do is.

Expected output: A list of 3 adults plus a first-action sentence.

Marking guidance: 1 mark per adult, 2 marks for a sensible first action.

Extension (optional)

What pupils do: Find out: what is "phishing"? How can you tell a phishing email from a real one? Write 3 ways.

Expected output: A 3-way "spot the phish" checklist.

Marking guidance: Up to 6 marks for accurate and clear answers.

Family discussion prompt (safeguarding-aware)

Ask a grown-up: "Have you or anyone you know been targeted by an online scam? What happened?" (No need to share details if uncomfortable.)

SAFEGUARDING Classroom safeguarding

Note for teachers: Do not ask pupils to share specific scams they've received or that family members have been victims of. Frame everything through general examples. If a pupil discloses being a victim of a scam, take it seriously and report to the safeguarding lead.

ANSWERS Answer key & differentiation

Answer guide

Hook: fake — it's too good to be true and pressures you to "click now". Both are named warning signs.
Guided sort — what good looks like: legitimate items (e.g. a school payment request) have a known sender, no prize and no urgency; scam items show at least one of the three signs: too good to be true, urgent pressure, asks for personal information.
Challenge: a copied logo proves nothing — this is phishing. Correct response: never click the email link; go to the shop's real website directly.
Plenary safest action: stop, don't click, tell a trusted adult.
Homework key: message (c) is the most serious — nobody genuine ever asks for a PIN; red flags include the PIN request and the fake family story. Password rules: long, hard to guess, different for each site, never shared and never entered via an emailed link.

Support (scaffold)

Give a three-question filter card: "Is it a prize? Is it rushing me? Does it want private information?" One yes = treat as a scam.
Use red/green cards to vote SCAM/REAL before writing anything.
Script the response: "I would stop, not click, and show ___."

Stretch (challenge)

Why do scammers add countdowns and urgency? Link to how hurrying stops careful thinking.
Compare a real email and a phish side by side: sender address, spelling, link destination.
Add a fourth warning sign to the class poster and defend it (e.g. "unexpected contact").

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