Thanks to support from FEC UK, pupils at Saint Augustine’s Primary School in Manchester were given the opportunity to take part in the ‘Futures’ programme – an interactive experience that helps children build money skills, grow in confidence, and talk about career choices.
It’s part of a much bigger mission to equip children with the knowledge and skills they’ll need for a brighter future. Less than half of children and young people in the UK receive meaningful financial education. What’s more, 76% of pupils leave school without the financial knowledge they need for adulthood, according to a recent YouGov survey of teachers. This has to change.
During the Futures programme, pupils took part in an enterprise challenge where they became chefs, planners and marketers. They designed pizzas from scratch. They visited a local supermarket to compare prices, calculate value for money, and source their ingredients. This helped the school transform classroom activities into real-world scenarios. Children invited parents into school and sold pizza slices to raise funds for future school trips. The overall experience had a strong community impact.
“This was such a rewarding and engaging project to take part in. Our pupils were able to learn about money management and healthy eating in such an interactive way. Parents were very supportive and it’s definitely had a positive impact on children’s understanding, confidence and skills.” – Miss Barr, Year 6 Teacher.
“I think it’s really good. I wish I had things like this at school.” – Parent.
“It helped me to know how to do things in the future.” – Pupil.
“Teaching children about the importance of budgeting from an early age is really important. It helps them understand key facts about money and plays a huge part in their futures.” Rebecca Kirkland FEC UK.
Article Sources:
- Money and Pensions Service: Less than half of UK children have been taught about money
https://maps.org.uk/en/media-centre/press-releases/2023/less-than-half-of-uk-children-have-been-taught-about-money - Money and Pensions Service / YouGov, 2024: Hundreds of thousands leaving school without money skills
https://maps.org.uk/en/media-centre/press-releases/2024/hundreds-of-thousands-leaving-school-without-money-skills