New report calls for statutory financial education in schools
Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) is delighted to be working in partnership with one of its Year 12 students to shape the future of personal development education. Cameron Holt, Member of Youth Parliament for Bassetlaw, is the former student prime minister for Outwood Academy Valley and a current student at Outwood Post 16 Centre Worksop.
Cameron has undertaken considerable research to produce a report into the need for statutory financial education, which OGAT will feature as part of its upcoming Student Voice Conference on 26 November at the Outwood Institute of Education in Doncaster.
Alastair Campbell has written the foreword for Cameron’s report, which lobbies parliament for statutory financial education. Campbell states ‘Feeling confident and safe in a world in which money, whether we like it or not, matters so much. Helping young people develop that confidence is what this report is all about. It deserves to be widely read, not just by young people, but by thought leaders and policy makers too.’
Outlining his work on the report, Cameron said:
“My campaign is vital to the education of our country’s young people. Finance has never been so important, with online fraud rife, and young people being in control of their finances at a younger age than ever. We find ourselves in a scenario where children are becoming adults without the fundamental knowledge they need to protect their finances.
“There are millions of young people who are unsure when it comes to car insurance or university debt, which are issues that affect our young people before they are adults. This is a failure, and should not be allowed to continue. As it stands, certain schools deliver brilliant financial education, whilst others do not. To combat this, we need a statutory curriculum, making it compulsory for all schools across the country, which is the status currently given to sex education. A new curriculum should be sculpted by experts in collaboration with young people, so we can foster a new generation of students who are equipped with the information and advice that they need to succeed financially. The dire need for this has been highlighted by Parliament itself, in a cross-party review by the Education Select Committee.
“My report has been endorsed by a plethora of influential organisations, including GoHenry, PSHE Association, The Diana Award, Outwood Grange Academies Trust, The Money Charity, MyBnk and Positive Money. I am also fortunate enough to have a foreword from Alastair Campbell. My survey on financial education has been answered by around 1000 students and displays their current lack of confidence with money. The support is clear and the need is evident.”
The Student Voice Conference will focus on the theme of ‘Finding your Future’ and Cameron will join representatives from all 29 secondary schools across the Outwood Family of Schools. Staff and students will have the opportunity to listen to a keynote speech from Lyndsy James, founder of Active Fusion, provide feedback about what they want or need in terms of a personal development curriculum and have the opportunity to complete and submit ‘bids’ for funding from the Trust’s newly established Student Voice Innovation Fund in hopes to receive funding to support initiatives in their schools to impact positively on all students.
If you would like to know more about Cameron’s report or attend the Student Voice Conference for the launch, please contact socialmedia@outwood.com.
