Exploring risk in relation to gambling

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Lesson one: exploring risk

This key stage 2 lesson focuses on pupils’ understanding and assessment of risk and how to manage when risk arises. It enables pupils to talk about what is meant by risk and develop strategies for dealing with it.

It provides a suitable starting point prior to exploring different types of risk in more detail, for example in relation to drug, alcohol and tobacco education or gambling education. A follow-up lesson exploring risk in
relation to gambling is provided for pupils in Year 5/6.

This lesson is not designed to be taught in isolation and should form part of a planned, developmental programme for PSHE education. Timings provided are approximate — teachers are expected to adapt
delivery according to the needs of their pupils and their previous learning on risk.

Learning objective

To learn about risk in everyday situations

Learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

assess how risky different everyday activities are
describe how important it is to ‘stop and think’ before taking a risk
explain what makes a risk worth taking and what makes it too risky

Resources required

Box or envelope for anonymous questions
Paper
Resource 1: Risky activities
Resource 2: Risk scenarios
Resource 3: Risk reflection sheet

Overview

Activity	Description	Time
Baseline assessment	Discuss what is meant by risk, types of risks and what makes something more or less risky	5-10
Risk continuum	Pupils draw an example of a risky activity then place them on a risk continuum - class feedback and discuss	15
Paired discussion	Pupils discuss why people take risks	5
In the moment	Class discuss how a character could manage a situation involving risk	10
Risk scenarios	Pairs of pupils assess levels of risk in different situations, potential consequences and suggest how to minimise the risk	15
Endpoint assessment	Pupils complete a self-evaluation sheet about their learning on risk	5
Extension activity	Pupils create a cartoon strip using the ‘in the moment’ scenario as stimulus, provide advice and depict a positive outcome	-

Activities

Understanding risk

Use this activity to gain a sense of pupils’ understanding of the concept of risk and those they
are familiar with.
- Discuss, as a class what is meant by risk.
- What kinds of things are risky?
- What makes something more or less risky?
Example definition: Risk is the possibility of taking an action when we cannot always predict
what will happen and when there is the potential of losing something of value. Most things people do
carry some risk, but some activities are much riskier than others. (Adapted from Wikipedia definition of ‘risk’)

High-risk activities

Draw out that high-risk activities are likely to include:
- possible loss to life, health or other serious loss (e.g. financial, environmental)
- a high chance of a negative outcome (not being successful)
Pupils may or may not include gambling-related risk - if gambling is included in the pupils’ awareness, it may indicate an increased likelihood that pupils would benefit from Lesson 2 as a progression from
this lesson.
Working in small groups, each pupil draws a risky activity, then as a group - rank them on a line
of continuum (lower risk, medium risk, higher risk).

If you want to use or add in other examples for the pupils to consider, see: Resource 1: Risky
activities.

Take feedback, making a class version of the risk continuum on the whiteboard or flipchart,
choosing some of the example activities and asking pupils to explain and justify where they
would place the activity on the line of continuum.

Support: Use a simple continuum: lower risk – higher risk.
Challenge: Use a more complex continuum: lowest risk, lower risk, medium risk, higher risk, highest
risk. Pupils explain what else would affect the level of risk (e.g. the person taking the risk – their age or
capability level) or other details relating to the activity.
Choose one of the examples from the previous activity, and ask pairs to discuss why someone
might take or want to take the risk – what might encourage them? Discuss that with risk, can
sometimes come gain.

Pupils might say: to have fun, because it’s exciting, to get or win something, because their friends
are doing it, it will help them or they can’t live without it, because they feel confident, it’s a low risk
activity anyway.
Read the following scenario to the class:

Jamie is skateboarding with a group of friends. They dare Jamie to do a skateboard trick on the
road. Jamie does it, thinking it will be fun, without thinking of the risks.

Pupils discuss:
- Why doesn’t Jamie think about the risks?
- What could Jamie have done in this moment instead?
Discuss how important it is to ‘stop and think’ before taking a risk, but that people can find this
difficult when they are caught up in the excitement of the moment, they are with others who
are encouraging them, they may want peer approval (to be liked, accepted, show off their skills).

Discuss different exit-strategies that can help to ‘buy time’ to stop and think or walk away from
potentially unsafe situations such as:
- Quickly assessing the situation and saying no… ‘I’m not risking doing a trick like that on the
  road, no!’
- Giving an alternative option… ‘I’ll do the trick but not on the road – let’s go to the skate
  park.’
- Providing a reason to leave the situation… ‘Actually, I need to get to the shop before it
  shuts.’
- Using humour… ‘You must be joking – I’ve only just recovered from the last trick I tried!’
- Asking for advice… ‘I’m not sure, I might just check with (trusted adult e.g. parent/teacher)
  first.
Display scenarios from Resource 2: Risk scenarios. Teachers should select the scenarios they
think are relevant and appropriate for their class.

Explain that risk assessment also depends on:
- The person (e.g. their age, capability, whether they can afford to take the risk)
- Who else is there (if they can help or how taking the risk will affect them)
- Where it is happening – the place or situation
Individually, pupils reflect on their learning about risk using Resource 3: Reflections on risk
sheet (or recording their responses to the following three questions in their workbooks).
- Before this lesson, I felt…
- This lesson about risk has made me think about…
- Before taking a risk people should…
Pupils create a cartoon strip of the In the moment scenario up to (but not beyond) the
point where Jamie is about to take the dare. Pupils add speech and thought bubbles for the
characters and include themselves (or another character if they prefer) giving Jamie advice
about what to do. They should ensure they include a positive outcome to the situation.