We run a number of Consumer Education Programmes
We all go shopping, but do we know our rights? Have you asked yourself any of the these questions in the past:
• When am I entitled to a refund, repair or replacement?
• Can I take an item of clothing back if I’ve just had a change of heart?
• Do I have the right to return an item that I have bought online if I don’t like it when I receive it?
It would be great to be armed with the answers to these questions when a problem arises. In order to make consumers more informed of their rights, the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Education and Community Engagement team have devised consumer law lessons. They are currently being conducted in schools and colleges throughout West Yorkshire and give students a good knowledge base of their statutory rights.
Students look at how their rights are affected by the Sale of Goods Act and learn when they are justified in complaining about goods or services they have purchased. With more and more people purchasing online, Distance Selling Regulations are also covered, along with other areas of consumer legislation. Lessons are designed around common scenarios and get students talking about similar situations they may have found themselves in.
As well as being successfully conducted in schools/colleges, the lessons are being adapted for presenting to parents who attend Sure Start Centres so they can become more confident and informed consumers. This will also clear any common misconceptions people tend to have about refunds and their general rights.
More comprehensive consumer law training sessions are available to businesses at a cost.
Consumer Law lesson at Calderdale College
We live in a consumer society but how many of us actually know the laws that affect us?
It is always great to be armed with the answers when a problem arises. In order to make consumers more knowledgeable about their rights and therefore confident shoppers, the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Education and Community Engagement Team have devised consumer law lessons that do just that.
The lessons have been successfully conducted in schools, colleges and universities, as well as Sure Start Centres and have also been adapted for delivery at specialist schools and alternative curriculum providers. The feedback from the participants has been excellent with each person believing, after the session, they are more confident at tackling many consumer issues.
“The sessions encouraged real life discussions around the rights and responsibilities as consumers which previously they were completely oblivious towards. The sessions were well delivered, informative and brought life to a subject that has unfortunately become axiomatic”
Furkan Uddin- Course Leader BTEC First Diploma in Business, Calderdale College
Examples of Curriculum Links:
Key Stage 3 & 4
Citizenship - 1.2a, b
If you would like further information on Consumer Law Lessons contact Rashad Basharat on 0113 393 9812 or email rbasharat@wyjs.org.uk
National Curriculum link: Key Stage 4, Citizenship 1h
Kirklees Alcohol Education Programme
Each time you turn on the news or look in your local paper there are stories regarding anti-social behaviour within local communities. There is often a link between such behaviour and the sale of various age-restricted goods such as alcohol, fireworks, knives, tobacco, solvents and aerosol spray paints. West Yorkshire Trading Standards recognises the need to educate young people in a fun and engaging way about the law and the consequences of trying to purchase age-restricted products.
In order to strengthen the educational message with regards to alcohol, a dedicated Kirklees Alcohol Education Officer has been appointed to the programme. Alcohol Education sessions are being carried out in high schools and colleges across Kirklees and are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the local school community. Lessons provide young people with an enjoyable, stimulating learning environment and have been delivered in various ways:
• Sessions delivered during Health Action Week, where students also learn about the impact of alcohol in terms of sexual health and contraception, healthy lifestyles, sensible limits and drinking patterns, smoking cessation and other age-restricted products.
• Delivered as part of the PHSE curriculum using whole year groups and full school assemblies.
• Role play and drama presentations using students to support key message delivery.
• Alcohol Awareness Events in schools/colleges using the Student Union’s facilities with Health and Social Care students promoting the health message amongst peers.
Working in partnership with colleagues including those from the Primary Care Trust, School Nurses, Safer Communities Partnership, the Police, colleagues from Youth Offending Team and West Yorkshire Fire Service; the teaching resources also incorporate the message of healthy living, as topics such as the effects of alcohol and substance misuse are linked with lessons focusing on underage sales and enforcing legislation in this area.
The lessons have been a big hit with Kirklees schools and colleges that have engaged with the initiative and West Yorkshire Trading Standards endeavour to make a difference to the underage drinking culture.
For more information about the Alcohol Education Programme please contact Suzanne Kitchen on 0113 393 9817 or email skitchen@wyjs.org.uk
Royds Underage Sales Project
West Yorkshire Trading standards has the responsibility of enforcing legislation in relation to underage sales of tobacco, alcohol, fireworks, knives, solvents and aerosol spray paints.
Our aim is to protect children and young people caused by access to age restricted products. The exposure of children to such products in particular, alcohol and tobacco can lead to lasting health effects and exposure to violence and crime that can have tragic consequences not only on themselves but on our society and local community.
Issues surrounding the supply and use of age restricted products are tackled in a number of ways, with emphasis being on both enforcement and education.
In order to deliver an educational programme across schools in the Royds area of Bradford an officer has been appointed to demonstrate the work of Trading Standards and educate young people and retailers in relation to underage sales. Funding has been received from Bradford South Area Committee where 1500 young people from schools and youth groups will learn about the effects of alcohol and tobacco, understanding the impacts on themselves, their families and their communities.
To provide as much flexibility to fit within the curriculum, variations on Workshops/lessons included delivery as part of the PHSCE curriculum to whole year groups, cross-curricular days, awareness events and drop in sessions in a youth group setting and examined rights and responsibilities, focussed primarily on tobacco and alcohol. Students also looked at the wider issues of anti-social behaviour and youth nuisance and personal health and safety, often linked with underage drinking.
Working with retailers
To support the schools community work, a number of Responsible Retailer training sessions have been provided for off licensees and staff and included a range of subjects such as underage sales legalities and conflict management. The sessions have proved a success with attendance of staff from over 15 retailer premises in the area. Retailers have an important part to play in the prevention of teen access to age restricted products and developing that responsibility at community level can help change the culture amongst young people so that they expect to be challenged for proof of age and routinely carry I.D
For more information about the Alcohol Education Programme please contact Suzanne Kitchen on 0113 393 9817 or email skitchen@wyjs.org.uk