Students at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, Swindon, will soon be taught about money and personal finance, after it was announced that the school has been chosen to join the Centre of Excellence programme in financial education. The news comes as part of a ground-breaking partnership between the UK’s leading financial education charity, Young Enterprise, and Santander.
The announcement means that Royal Wootton Bassett Academy will work with an educational specialist to create a detailed programme of financial education for their students and integrate the teaching of personal finance into the curriculum. Teachers will be assisted in the delivery of effective personal finance lessons and learning activities, drawing on the charity’s 55 years of experience of aiding educators in schools, centres & colleges across the UK.
Santander is supporting the development of Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, Swindon, to achieve Centre of Excellence* status in the next year, turning it into a beacon of best practice in teaching young people about money. The school is one of 38 across the country who are currently benefitting from the programme.
Royal Wootton Bassett Academy will be supported in sharing its new expertise with other centres in the local area to benefit the wider educational community.
Once they receive their award, Royal Wootton Bassett Academy will join the other 82 schools, colleges and centres who have already been awarded or reaccredited with the Centre of Excellence status. Santander are funding 60 programmes from this total number of 120.
Anita Ellis, Assistant Headteacher of Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, said:
“We know just how important it will be for our students to manage their money well throughout their lives. These skills don’t come automatically – they need to be taught, and as it is our responsibility to prepare them for adult life we believe embedding financial education into our Academy curriculum is a necessity. We are pleased to be working with Young Enterprise to become a Centre of Excellence in this crucial area, for the benefit of our students.”
Michael Mercieca, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise, said:
“We are delighted that Royal Wootton Bassett Academy has joined our Centre of Excellence programme through our partnership with Santander. The work that staff will be doing with our educational specialists over the coming months will be of enormous benefit to students, with financial education set to be firmly embedded into the curriculum. Our aim is to ensure that all students enter adult life with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage money well.”
Sarah Morris, Branch Director at Santander’s Swindon Branch said:
“Our purpose is to help people and businesses prosper and we are committed to supporting people in our communities through skills, knowledge and innovation. Young people are encountering money earlier than ever so it’s imperative that they have the skills they need to manage their money well. The Centres of Excellence programme offers a tailored programme designed by education experts to ensure no young person is left behind.”
