RORY CONGRATULATES WILLIAM HOWARD AS CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION

As part of national ‘My Money Week’, Local MP, Rory Stewart, this week visited William Howard School in Brampton to learn more about the secondary school’s work as a local centre of excellence for financial education. The Penrith and the Border MP was invited to sit in on a year 7 class led by the Cumberland Building Society, where pupils had the opportunity to ask questions about banking and finance with former William Howard student, Charlotte Vaughan.

From September 2014, financial education will form a part of the Government’s compulsory national curriculum in England, and the subject will be part of citizenship for 11-16-year-olds and maths for 5-14-year-olds. The move follows years of campaigning by financial education charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group), the All Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People and MoneySavingExpert.com’s Martin Lewis.

William Howard has been teaching the subject for several years already however, and as a centre of excellence, now supports other local primary and secondary schools develop the subject.

Rory Stewart said:

“Preparing our young people for the wider world beyond school is about more than ensuring they come out with a good set of GCSEs; it is clear from my visit today that William Howard is doing a wonderful job in ensuring its students come out as well-rounded individuals. In a world where money matters can seem increasingly confusing and complex, the opportunity to engage with the subject from a young age will clearly help young people feel more confident with financial decisions, better able to budget, and better able to understand the risks associated with issues like pay-day loans or online gambling.”