Learning aim
Pupils can compare apprenticeship and university routes across cost, debt, earnings and lifetime financial impact, and articulate a decision framework that respects personal circumstances.
National Curriculum links
- PSHE Association KS4 L17: about the role of money in our lives, including post-16 choices
- PSHE Association KS4 L18: about managing money around major life decisions
- Careers KS4: post-16 pathway choices and the financial implications
- Maths KS4: percentages, compound interest, lifetime calculations
What you'll need
- Apprentice vs University comparison handout (income, costs, debt)
- Lifetime earnings graph (typical paths)
- Decision framework worksheet
- Recent apprenticeship examples from UCAS / amazingapprenticeships.com
Lesson structure (60 minutes)
HOOK
TEACH
GUIDED
CHALLENGE
PLENARY
Adapting for all learners
Support (working below ARE)
Focus on one career comparison (e.g. nurse). Use a pre-filled table. Pupils explain the differences they see rather than calculating from scratch.
Stretch (working above ARE)
Calculate the break-even point: at what salary does the higher graduate lifetime earnings overtake the apprentice's head start (factoring in student loan repayments)? Discuss whether this break-even ever happens for some careers.
SEND adaptations
For pupils with autism: provide a clear pros-and-cons table for each route, listing financial and non-financial factors separately. For pupils with anxiety about post-16 choices: emphasise that NO choice is "wrong" — different paths suit different people. For pupils with dyscalculia: pre-fill the calculations.
EAL support
Vocabulary: "apprenticeship", "degree apprenticeship", "tuition fees", "student loan", "graduate", "lifetime earnings", "Plan 5", "repayment threshold". Sentence frame: "By age 22, an apprentice has ___. A graduate has ___. Over a career, ___ usually earns more BUT ___."
Assessment criteria
Pupils can: (1) name two financial costs of going to university; (2) calculate apprentice savings after 4 years of £20k/year salary (assume 20% saved); (3) explain one financial advantage of EACH route; (4) articulate the trade-offs in one paragraph.
Homework pack
Four research activities comparing the financial paths. ~40 minutes.
Cost comparison
What pupils do: Find the typical 3-year cost of a UK university degree (tuition + living). Find the typical 3-year apprenticeship outcome (wages earned + qualifications). Build a side-by-side table.
Expected output: A comparison table covering 3 cost/income categories.
Marking guidance: 2 marks per accurate cell. Up to 12 marks total.
Earnings at age 25
What pupils do: Research the average graduate salary 5 years post-uni. Research the average qualified apprentice salary 5 years post-apprenticeship in the same field. Compare.
Expected output: A 2-route earnings comparison.
Marking guidance: 3 marks for each accurate figure, 4 marks for a balanced comparison.
Debt vs no-debt
What pupils do: A university graduate has £45,000 student loan. Plan 5 student loan: 9% of income above £25,000 threshold (2026/27). At a £35,000 salary, how much per year? When would it be paid off (assume 5% interest)?
Expected output: A loan-cost calculation.
Marking guidance: 2 marks for annual cost (£900), 2 marks for considering interest growth, 2 marks for a reasonable payoff estimate.
Extension (optional)
What pupils do: Research 3 sectors where degree apprenticeships exist (e.g. legal, finance, engineering, software). What's the salary trajectory in each?
Expected output: A 3-sector deep-dive.
Marking guidance: Up to 9 marks for thorough research.
Family discussion prompt (safeguarding-aware)
Ask 2 adults you know: "If you went back to age 18, would you do the same path (university or work)?" Compare their reasons.
Classroom safeguarding
Answer key & differentiation
Answer guide
- Guided tables are open-ended; what good looks like: the 5-year row shows the apprentice with wages, work experience and no debt against the graduate's £40–£50k Plan 5 balance; the 30-year row deducts 9% of income above £25,000 from graduate earnings before comparing.
- Wage anchors for calculations (from April 2026): apprentice rate £8.00/hour, £10.85 at 18–20, £12.71 National Living Wage from 21.
- Assessment calculation: 20% saved from a £20,000 salary for 4 years = £16,000.
- Challenge: the degree apprenticeship usually wins financially — same qualification, salary throughout, no debt; credit answers that also weigh the genuine non-financial pulls of university.
- Homework "Debt vs no-debt": at £35,000, Plan 5 costs 9% × £10,000 = £900 a year (£75 a month); with 5% interest on £45,000 (£2,250 in year one) the balance grows faster than £900 shrinks it — full payoff is unlikely before the write-off, which is the insight to reward.
Support (scaffold)
- Work only the nurse comparison, with the table pre-filled except two cells pupils complete.
- Colour-code each completed row for which route it favours, then read the pattern.
- Conclusion frame: "By 22 the apprentice has ___; by 30 the graduate ___; the deciding factor for me is ___."
Stretch (challenge)
- Model the break-even year: with a £50,000 apprentice head start and a £4,000 net annual graduate premium, when do the lines cross — and what assumptions is that resting on?
- Name a career where the break-even never arrives, and one where it arrives fast; justify with evidence.
- Stress-test: how does the comparison change if the graduate starts on £24,000 — below the £25,000 repayment threshold?
Related lesson plans
- Budgeting for sixth form or college — planning the next two years (KS4 · Year 11)
- ISAs explained — the tax-free way to save (KS4 · Year 10)
- Understanding your first payslip (KS3 · Year 7 / Year 8)
- All lesson plans (KS1 · KS2 · KS3 · KS4) →