MPs praise Arun students’ finance lessons lobby

Chairman of Arun Youth Council Alex Harman and his predecessor Katie Emms were praised by MPs for the council’s determined efforts to highlight the poor state of financial education within primary and secondary schools in England, when the report was published at Westminster last week.

Alex and Katie, who had been working alongside the Personal Finance Education Group (PFEG) and Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com for several months, were invited as guests of honour to the launch, which was attended by former Countdown hostess Carol Vorderman.

St Philip Howard Catholic High School student Katie, 18, said: “The effects of financial education may not be noticed immediately, but in 20 to 30 years’ time, the aftermath of this small addition on to the national curriculum could prove to be a key solution in the prevention of debt and financial difficulty – such as on the scale the global economy faces today.

“The prospect of me going to university next year is completely daunting, especially as I will be paying the maximum £9,000 a year, and I really wish someone had educated me a little better about how to manage my money.”

In September, representatives from the youth council were invited to give evidence to committee members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on financial education for young people.

This followed in the wake of a youth council-led survey which asked hundreds of primary and secondary school students, across the district, whether they would like to see financial education being introduced as a compulsory part of the national curriculum – the resounding answer being a “yes”.

The question was officially raised with schools minister, and Bognor Regis and Littlehampton MP, Nick Gibb, during a debate in the House of Commons.

Mr Gibb stopped short of backing compulsory financial education but pointed out the issue would be considered in the government’s ongoing review of the national curriculum.