Press release

Dunkirk Primary to become Centre of Excellence in financial education

 
Nottingham’s Dunkirk Primary School has been selected to become a Centre of Excellence in financial education, as part of a ground-breaking new partnership between global information services company Experian© and pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group), the UK’s leading financial education charity.

The move means that pupils at Dunkirk Primary, on Marlborough Street, Nottingham will have access to a life-changing financial literacy programme enabling them to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to be able to make the right financial decisions and manage their money well into adulthood.

Nottingham is one of 20 areas across the country that will benefit from this programme. It has been identified by Experian using its tools to identify levels of financial literacy and use of financial services such as bank and savings accounts.  Experian is funding the development of Dunkirk Primary to achieve pfeg Centre of Excellence* status in the next year, turning it into a beacon of best practice in teaching children and young people about money. 

pfeg’s educational specialists will work with the school to help create a tailored financial education programme for pupils and to ensure all teachers are trained to deliver innovative personal finance lessons and activities. In addition, trained Experian volunteers will be made available to offer support to teachers in the classroom.                                                                                               

As part of the programme, Dunkirk Primary will also be supported in cascading its knowledge and expertise to help other schools in the local area set up their own financial education programmes.  This will help to make a significant and lasting impact on the local community.

Jane Alford, headteacher of Dunkirk Primary School, said:

"We know just how important it is that our children learn how to manage their money. This is something that they will have to do throughout their adult lives. That's why we are excited to be taking part in this programme and further developing our outstanding school into a 'Centre of Excellence' in financial education. We think this will make a real difference to our children and their learning."

Tracey Bleakley, pfeg chief executive, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Dunkirk Primary and Experian on this exciting expansion of our Centres of Excellence programme.  Our partnership will benefit thousands of young people in Nottingham and forms a key part of our plan to ensure that every young person leaves school with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage their personal finances.”

Craig Boundy, Managing Director, Experian UK&I, said:

“This important new partnership with pfeg will make a real difference to children and schools in those areas in the UK where support is needed the most.  Giving people access to the information they need to make better financial decisions sits right at the heart of Experian and we have been developing free financial education resources for a number of years. The combination of pfeg’s expertise with Experian’s high-quality teaching resources and our classroom volunteers will mean that young people have the opportunity to gain the vital knowledge and skills they need to make the right decisions about money.”

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For more information contact pfeg’s
Matt Hartley on 020 7330 9478 or 07730 141519 or email matt.hartley@pfeg.org
And/or Experian’s
James Jones on 0115 9922336, or email james.jones@experian.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

*About pfeg Centres of Excellence

• A total of 39 schools and school clusters have now been awarded pfeg Centre of Excellence status
• Centre of Excellence status is awarded to schools or school clusters that have been recognised and rewarded for taking big steps forward in bringing personal finance education to all the children and young people in their school
• pfeg works with candidate schools and school clusters to embed financial education into the curriculum through the provision of teacher training, consultancy and support to feeder schools
• To achieve Centre of Excellence status, schools must achieve the following criteria
• Senior leadership commitment – a headteacher who wants their teachers to be trained to teach personal finance education;
• A champion – a key teacher with day-to-day responsibility for driving quality personal finance education;
• A school/college development programme – a well planned and high quality provision of financial education;
• Effective teaching, learning and assessment approaches – trained teachers who can motivate, challenge and assess pupils’ learning;
• Pupil involvement – pupils who are involved and motivated to learn