School supported by St. James’s Place becomes its first accredited centre of excellence for financial education

Tonge Moor Primary Academy in Bolton has become the first school to be accredited as a Centre of Excellence for financial education (COE), part of St. James’s Place’s commitment to sponsor 21 schools through their journey to become a Young Enterprise CoE hub.

SJP’s partnership with Young Enterprise, a financial and enterprise education charity, aims to support a variety of education providers – including primary, secondary, higher education and special educational needs settings, on their accreditation journey. 

Since the partnership began at the end of 2022, 12 SJP-funded schools so far have signed up to the accreditation process, which equips academic staff with the support, tools and resources needed to help build the financial confidence of pupils and embed financial education across the school’s curriculum.

Now, a year on, Tonge Moor has become the first school to reach that landmark status. Through completing the accreditation process, Tonge Moor has increased its coverage of financial education from 51 per cent to 96.5 per cent of the school’s curriculum. This has been achieved by embedding it into Personal, Social, Health, Relationship and Economics (PSHRE) education and Mathematics, as well as widening its reach into a range of other subjects and enrichment opportunities the school offers.

Robina Durrani, Assistant Head Teacher at Tonge Moor, says:

“At Tonge Moor, we offer a curriculum that inspires learning but develops skills, knowledge and understanding to successfully equip children for later life. We put the emphasis on nurturing well-rounded, happy children. We encourage the children to dream big while ensuring that they are well equipped for their life now and in the future. Financial education plays a big part in achieving this. 

“Being supported to become a Centre of Excellence has enabled the school to firmly embed financial education into the PSHE curriculum, as well as linking it to a wide range of opportunities that enable the children to apply what they have learned to the real world. Moreover, our pupil voice evidence shows steady progress in our pupils’ journey towards bettering financial capabilities. Going forward, as a Centre of Excellence, we want to further empower our children and their families to be more financially capable.” 

Maria Spooner, Head of Corporate Consultancy, Responsible Business, St. James’s Place says:

“We are delighted that Tonge Moor has achieved its Centre of Excellence accreditation, helping to improve the financial literacy of its pupils, staff, and wider community.

“At St. James’s Place, we are committed to becoming a leading responsible business in the UK. Supporting the financial wellbeing and education of our clients, our people and wider communities is key to this. Early education is an essential part of building long term financial resilience, with research showing that money habits are set as early as the age of seven. By supporting the COE programme, we hope to build those habits early and enable brighter financial futures for young people across the UK.”