New toolkit for schools
15 August 2012
A free schools toolkit has been launched to help children and young people returning after the summer holidays learn about money management and finding and keeping a home.
According to our research 40% of Britain’s young people say they are increasingly worried about debt, and are most likely to be worried about losing their home. Separate research found that 75% of youngsters did not understand the meaning of the words debt, redundancy and recession. Meanwhile 93% of teachers and parents think personal finance should be taught in schools.
Sixty children become homeless every day in Scotland, while nearly one in five (179,000) children live in fuel poverty – more than enough to fill Hampden Park stadium three times over.
The toolkit, which is available as an online resource, includes an accompanying range of tools giving teachers the means to help pupils plan a stable future.
Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said:
"Homelessness does not discriminate and anyone can lose their home when faced with a spiralling financial problem. It’s more important than ever that teachers are given the time and resources to help arm young people with the facts before they leave school so they can make informed decisions that affect their future."
“Our hope is that the toolkit will play an important role in schools across Scotland and equip future generations with life and money management skills, enabling them to find and keep a home that is affordable and secure.”
In line with the school curriculums teaching plans cover essential skills like budgeting and understanding the cost of household basics, while multimedia resources explore young people’s rights to the minimum wage and their rights if they become homeless.
Download the teaching pack at: shelter.org.uk/teachers
