
KS3 Excel Lesson 6 – Party Planner! Costing, Pricing & Profit/Loss Modelling (Dyslexia-Friendly | Real-World Maths | High Engagement)
End the unit with a highly engaging, real-world challenge: students design and cost their own party using Excel, then calculate whether they will make a profit or a loss. This lesson is hands-on, creative and ideal for consolidating all spreadsheet skills learned so far — from cell referencing to formulas and modelling.
All resources are fully dyslexia-friendly, using clear fonts, soft pastel backgrounds, clean layout, and colour-coded instructions to support all learners.
What students will learn (Lesson 6):
- Real-world modelling — Students build a spreadsheet similar to those used in event planning, catering and budgeting.
- Creating a full cost breakdown — Pupils add food, drink, decorations and entertainment to a party shopping list.
- Adding their own items — Students personalise the plan by choosing extra items and entering their own prices.
- Using formulas to calculate totals — Apply addition, multiplication and cell referencing to work out costs for quantities.
- Pricing to make profit — Set a ticket price, number of guests and calculate profit or loss.
- Dynamic modelling — Changing any value updates the entire plan, showing how real businesses use spreadsheets.
Why this resource sells well on TES:
- ✔ Fully dyslexia-friendly – OpenDyslexic (or similar) font, pastel palettes, clean spacing and easy-to-follow visuals.
- ✔ Very high engagement – Students love planning a party and adding their own items, making the lesson feel creative and personal.
- ✔ Real-life maths made meaningful – Pupils see how budgeting, costing and profit actually work in real events.
- ✔ Perfect for mixed-ability groups – Scaffolded worksheet, clear examples, optional challenge tasks (e.g., “maximise profit with a £50 budget”).
- ✔ Ready to teach – Editable Excel template, worksheet, and teacher slides supplied.
By the end of the lesson, students can:
- Build a full party cost plan using a spreadsheet
- Use formulas for totals, quantities and pricing
- Understand profit and loss in a real context
- Adapt spreadsheets by adding new items and adjusting quantities
- See how spreadsheet models support real-world financial decisions
This final KS3 lesson ties the whole sequence together, combining creativity with practical budgeting skills — a fun, meaningful and memorable way to finish your spreadsheet unit.
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