1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Your proposal already has real content. Today you make it look like something you would actually hand to a work experience supervisor, a club treasurer, or a local business contact: clean margins, the right page shape, and a header and footer that carry your name and page numbers without cluttering the body text.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Set page margins and choose portrait or landscape appropriately
- Insert headers, footers and page numbers in your word processor
- Preview how a document will look on paper or as a finished PDF
- Add a name, project and date header plus a page-number footer to {{code:03_proposal_draft}}
Before you start: You need {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in your {{code:Project_Portfolio}} folder under {{code:03_documents}}. If you do not have that file yet, tell the teacher before the step-by-step begins. Use the class sample proposal in {{code:03_documents}}, or paste three short paragraphs into a new document saved as {{code:03_proposal_draft}} first so you still have a page to lay out.
Warm-up
Think of the last printed handout or form you saw at school, Intreo, or a workplace. Could you tell whose document it was and which page you were on without reading the main text? What tiny details at the top or bottom of the page made that clear?
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
Page layout turns a draft into a document someone else can scan, print, or open as a PDF without wondering who wrote it or which page they are on. These four ideas drive everything you will do today. Print preview comes later as a quick check once the layout is in place.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Page margins — empty space between text and page edge | Stops print edges clipping text; keeps the page calm to read | About 2.5 cm all round on a Work Experience proposal |
| Page orientation — taller (portrait) or wider (landscape) | Match the shape to the job so content fits without cramping | Proposal stays portrait; a wide budget table may need landscape later |
| Header — text strip that repeats at the top of every page | Carries identity so a reader never hunts for your name or project | Aoife Byrne | Custom Cake Side Hustle | 12 March 2026 |
| Footer and page numbers — strip at the bottom, usually with the page number | Keeps page order clear if sheets get shuffled or printed double-sided | Footer centre showing 2 |
Worked example to aim for
Aoife is building a small enterprise pitch for a custom birthday-cake side hustle aimed at local customers in her town. After today's layout pass, every page of her {{code:03_proposal_draft}} shows:
- Header: Aoife Byrne | Custom Cake Side Hustle | 12 March 2026
- Footer: centred page number
- Body: portrait orientation, Normal margins, existing paragraphs and headings untouched
You will practise this same layout pattern on your own {{code:03_proposal_draft}} using Aoife's sample header line first so the menus stay easy to follow. In Independent Practice you will replace that sample line with your own name, project name, and today's date.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Open {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in {{code:Project_Portfolio}} → {{code:03_documents}}. Follow the steps for your word processor. Type this sample header first: Aoife Byrne | Custom Cake Side Hustle | 12 March 2026. Stay in the same file; do not Save As a new name. You will swap the sample for your own details in Independent Practice.
Type only in the shaded header or footer strip, never in the main body.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
If you typed in the body by mistake, delete it there and open the header again. Nothing is permanent, and autosave has your back.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot find Margins or Orientation in Google Docs | They are not on a Layout tab. Open {{menu:File -> Page setup}} and set both there, then click {{btn:OK}}. |
| My header text only appears on the first page | In Word Online, reopen header tools, open Options, and untick Different first page. In Google Docs, open the header options and turn off "Different first page" if it is ticked. |
| The page number sits on top of my last paragraph | Increase the bottom margin slightly in Layout (Word) or Page setup (Docs), or move the page number to a clearer footer position. Then recheck in print preview. |
| I typed my name in the body instead of the header | Delete it from the body. Double-click the very top of the page (or use {{menu:Insert -> Header & Footer}} / {{menu:Insert -> Headers & footers}}) and type there instead so it repeats on every page automatically. |
| I am stuck in the header and cannot type in the body | Double-click in the middle of the page body (or click Close on the header and footer tools in Word Online) to leave header and footer edit mode. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
- Stay in {{code:03_proposal_draft}} inside {{code:Project_Portfolio}} → {{code:03_documents}}. Do not Save As a new name.
- Delete every word of the Aoife Byrne sample from the header.
- Type your name | your Something Real project name | today's date. Use the short project name you already chose for your proposal (for example a work experience placement, enterprise idea, or club event).
- Keep portrait orientation, clear even margins, and a simple page number in the footer.
- Open {{menu:File -> Print}} once and check that header and footer look clean with no collisions.
- Confirm the title bar still says {{code:03_proposal_draft}}. Leave it saved in {{code:Project_Portfolio}} → {{code:03_documents}} (this is the evidence your teacher banks for Student Task).
- Every page shows a header with your own name, your project name, and today's date (no sample Aoife Byrne text left)
- Every page shows a clear page number in the footer
- The proposal is portrait with even, readable margins and no collisions between body text and header or footer
- Print preview looks clean enough that you would be happy a real recipient saw this page, and the file is still named {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in {{code:03_documents}}
Win: if print preview shows your name up top and a clean page number below, you have turned a draft into something you could actually hand over. That is real workplace layout, not decoration.
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