CR News and Case Studies

New financial education teaching resource achieves pfeg Quality Mark

09 Jun 2006

Students to benefit from new resource to integrate financial capability into the curriculum

Introducing financial capability into the curriculum and preparing students for different stages of their life, including going to university, getting a mortgage and saving for a pension, has been made easier by a new interactive CD ROM designed by teachers that has been sent free to all maintained schools.

Adding up to a Lifetime, an initiative by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and supported by Prudential plc, provides schools with the material and support they need to equip students with the skills to make informed choices when faced with personal and financial decisions at various stages of their lives.

Adding up to a Lifetime has been awarded the pfeg Quality Mark and has been made possible by funding from Prudential plc, whose Group corporate responsibility programme is focussed on financial literacy and education.

Ed Balls MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, said:

"The Adding up to a lifetime resource pack provides valuable guidance for those supporting young people in developing financial literacy skills. These skills are crucial to help young people make the right financial decisions at different stages in their lives and lie at the heart of the government's commitment to improving financial capability."

Di Lloyd, Director of Business and Enterprise at Ridgeway High School in the Wirral and co-author of the material, said:

“This flexible and interactive resource, consisting of a handbook and interactive CD, gives teachers the tools they need to integrate financial literacy into different aspects of the curriculum. One of its main attractions is its flexibility. The more than 25 hours of finance related learning can be delivered in small chunks or whole days and be used for whole class teaching or independent learning.”

Commenting on the pfeg Quality Mark Wendy van den Hende, Chief Executive of pfeg, said:

“Adding up to a Lifetime is an excellent resource which will be useful for helping students to understand financial decisions they will have to make throughout their lives. We are pleased to award the resource with the pfeg Quality Mark, as a useful addition to our list of financial capability resources.”

The resource is designed for 13-16 year olds and the 25 hours of learning activities cover five stages of life. These are: Life as a student, working life, relationships, new life, and active retirement. They include a wide range of topics including setting up a bank account, applying for credit, savings, applying for a mortgage, preparing for a family and for retirement.

Elizabeth Reid, Chief Executive of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, said:

“Adding up to a Lifetime has been designed by teachers for teachers, making it a valuable resource for schools. It demonstrates how, through creative partnerships with business and finding new and exciting ways of educating students, we can continue raising standards in education. The knowledge and information students gain from the material will help them throughout their lives.”

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is the leading national body for secondary education in England, part funded by the DfES, delivering the Government's Specialist Schools and Academies programme. The Government's aim is that by 2010 all schools will be specialist or academies.
2. The Trust seeks to give more young people access to a good secondary education by building networks, sharing practice and supporting schools. The Trust's way of working is based on the principle 'by schools for schools'.
3. There are over 3,000 schools affiliated to the Trust including primary, secondary and special schools and Academies.
4. 80% of all secondary schools in England now have specialist status. The 2,502 specialist schools are maintained English secondary schools which teach the full national curriculum but give particular attention to their specialist subject, sometimes through an extended school day. All maintained secondary schools are eligible to bid for specialist status.
5. Specialist schools are nearly all comprehensive schools dedicated to accepting pupils with a wide range of ability. Schools specialise in teaching the arts, business & enterprise, engineering, the humanities, languages, mathematics & computing, music, science, sports, vocational subjects, and technology. There are also SEN trailblazer schools.
6. There are currently 27 academies open and the Government plans for 200 to be open or in the pipeline by 2010. Academies are all ability schools that aim to challenge the culture of educational underattainment and to deliver real improvements in standards. All Academies are located in areas of disadvantage. They either replace one or more existing schools facing challenging circumstances or are established where there is a need for additional school places.
7. Academies offer a broad and balanced curriculum to pupils of all abilities focusing especially on one or more subject areas. As the Academy becomes successfully established it will share its expertise and facilities with other schools and the wider community.
8. Further information on specialist schools and academies can be found at www.ssatrust.org.uk or www.dfes.gov.uk
9. For further information please contact Michael Turner, Media Relations Manager, on 020 7802 2334 or michael.turner@ssatrust.org.uk

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