Longdendale Community Language College, Tameside
Runner up, 2010
School award for best all-round approach to PFE - secondary
Longdendale has taken a whole-school approach to improving the personal finance skills of its students and over the last 18 months has set up a PSHE curriculum in association with pfeg to cover a wide selection of topics for every Key Stage 3 and 4 student.
Students learn about budgeting, borrowing, saving, earnings and how banks work. They also run their own school bank, including recruiting and interviewing staff. There is a cross-curricular approach to personal finance which is embedded into subjects including languages, Art, ICT, Maths and Science. The PSHE team have received training on teaching PFE from pfeg and will in turn train other staff members. The programme is enhanced by contributions from businesses from the local community. Pupil voice questionnaires have found that pupils have an increased understanding of personal finance skills and are engaged in the topic. The feedback has encouraged the school to give students more opportunities to use their skills in practical situations, for example through the school bank, involvement in enterprise, and theme days. The school holds an international language festival which is attended by other local schools and students are able to exchange currencies and then buy food in the currency of their chosen food’s origin.
The judges thought this was an interesting and effective cross-curricular approach, that shows pedagogical rigour. The entry was backed up with great evidence, including an endorsement from Ofsted.
