Debt and money management lessons for Burnley primary schoolchildren

Some of the pupils at Cherry Fold Primary School

Cherry Fold Primary School and Heasandford Primary School have been recently recognised for their efforts in educating children about debt and money management, becoming two of only 18 primary schools out of 160 to gain Accredited Centre status for the DebtAware Money Management Programme.

A plaque was presented to the schools during their assemblies.

DebtAware is a programme designed by national debt charity Debt Advice Foundation, which teaches children how to avoid unmanageable debt and establish money skills for life, before bad financial habits are formed.

Speaking after the presentation, Miss Masooma Begum from Heasandford Primary said: "Our school is delighted to have achieved this award, it is a true testament to how much our pupils enjoy the programme and valuable skills they learn from it. We look forward to building upon the knowledge we have learned and introducing the DebtAware Programme to our future Year 5 and 6 pupils"

Mrs Lucy Carradice from Cherry Fold Primary said: “DebtAware is a fantastic scheme, which has benefited the pupils of Cherry Fold Primary School enormously. The children have fully enjoyed all the sessions, supporting each other as 'Money Mentors', in order to provide each other with vital skills regarding money and finance, which they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Accreditation involves meeting the criteria for a series of six standards, designed to embed commitment to financial education within the school at every level – including Governors and senior staff – and that the programme is included in its school improvement plan.

DebtAware education manager Brian Souter added: “Money management is such a fundamental skill that we wanted to make sure that the importance of these lessons was appreciated throughout the schools taking part in the programme and was embedded in their culture.

“The fact that Cherry Fold and Heasandford have achieved accreditation shows just how enthusiastically the schools have embraced the programme and the quality of delivery in Burnley.”

Debt Advice Foundation runs a telephone helpline for people struggling with unmanageable debt in addition to its financial education work.

If people are struggling with debt, they should contact a free, independent debt advice charity such as Debt Advice Foundation. Their helpline is 0800 043 40 50, or you can go to www.debtadvicefoundation.org.