Norfolk teacher says "time and training" are needed to fit money skills lessons into curriculum
A new survey's found three in four teachers think students leave education without the financial skills needed for adulthood
A teacher in Norfolk is telling us he'd like to teach pupils about money skills - but says they need time and training to fit it in an already "packed curriculum".
It follows a Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) survey which found that three in four teachers think students leave education without the financial skills needed for adulthood.
"Going to be very difficult to cram something else in"
Scott Lyons works at a primary school in the county:
"Considering we are doing emotional and mental health stuff, alongside two hours of sport, music and key subjects, it's going to be very difficult to cram something else into a already very loaded curriculum.
"What we do in primary school really well is building up relationships and trust. We focus on those development skills, rather than bombarding them with details of how interest rates or loans work.
"Really important"
"With my own experience of having two teenagers, my idea of financial planning of mortgages and pensions is perhaps far different to their generation who may not be considering that, given they'll probably be working until they're 71.
"Part of me thinks this is down to parents to sort, but then again some don't have the understanding or the insight, so in that regard anything we in the education sector can do is really important."
What do teachers in the East of England think?
Based on 81 teachers surveyed by MAPS:
99% think it’s important that schools teacher their students about money
When do you think it should start? Nursery/pre-school (21%), Primary ages 5-7 (50%), primary ages 8-11 (17%), secondary ages 11-16 (11%), sixth form/college (2%), don’t need to (1%)
77% think most young people leave school/college without the money skills they need for adulthood
Why do they think this is happening?
Other subjects take priority (91%)
Teachers don’t know where to find the right resources/support (29%)
Not enough confidence and skills among teaching staff (23%)
What's the Government said on this?
The Department for Education says financial knowledge is already a compulsory part of the national curriculum for those aged between 5 and 16 - in Maths and Citizenship.