Brook Green Centre for Learning to become a Centre of Excellence in financial education

Students at Brook Green Centre for Learning, Plymouth, will soon be taught about money and personal finance, after it was announced that the ‘Outstanding’ Special School for ages 11 – 16, has been chosen to join the Centre of Excellence programme in financial education.

The news comes as part of a ground-breaking partnership between the UK’s leading financial education charity, Young Enterprise, and Santander.

The announcement means Brook Green Centre for Learning will work with an educational specialist to create a detailed programme of financial education for their students and integrate the teaching of personal finance into the curriculum.  Teachers will be assisted in the delivery of effective personal finance lessons and learning activities, drawing on the charity’s 55 years of experience of aiding educators in schools, centres & colleges across the UK. 

Santander is supporting the development of Brook Green Centre for Learning, Plymouth, to achieve Centre of Excellence* status in the next year, turning it into a beacon of best practice in teaching young people about money.  The special school is one of 115 across the country set to benefit from the programme, 60 of which are currently funded by Santander. It will be supported in sharing its new expertise with other schools and centres in the local area to benefit the wider educational community.

Sara Jordan, Headteacher of Brook Green Centre for Learning, said: "We know just how important it will be for our students to manage their money well throughout their lives so that they can develop their independence.  These skills don’t come automatically and it is a really big hurdle for many of our students who have a range of complex needs. These skills need to be taught and as it is our responsibility to prepare them for their next steps into adult life, we believe embedding financial education into our curriculum is a necessity. We are pleased to be working with Young Enterprise to become a Centre of Excellence in this crucial area, for the benefit of our students.”

Michael Mercieca, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise, said: “We are delighted that Brook Green Centre for Learning has joined our Centre of Excellence programme through our partnership with Santander. The work that staff will be doing with our educational specialists over the coming months will be of enormous benefit to students, with financial education set to be firmly embedded into the curriculum.  Our aim is to ensure that all students enter adult life with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage money well.”

Dawn Young, Branch Manager at Santander’s Plymouth branch, said: “Santander is a purpose driven business. Our purpose is to help people and businesses prosper and we are committed to supporting people in our communities through skills, knowledge and innovation. Young people are encountering money earlier than ever so it’s imperative that they have the skills they need to manage their money well. The Centres of Excellence programme offers a tailored programme designed by education experts to ensure no young person is left behind.”