LifeSavers

How Can LifeSavers Help?

LifeSavers equips teachers to teach financial education, supports schools to set up savings clubs and provides resources to engage parents and families.

Our values-based approach to financial education explores what it means to be wise, generous, just and thankful with our money, recognising that attitudes are as important as knowledge and skills in shaping financial behaviour.

LifeSavers is a unique programme for primary schools offering a whole school approach that provides:

• Resources and training for teachers to embed financial education into the school curriculum
• Support for school savings clubs to give children a practical experience of handling money
• A whole community approach that involves parents, credit unions and others in helping children learn about money

Combining these elements enables meaningful classroom learning to be put into practice through participation in a savings club, with the active support of parents and other community organisations

Case Study: St. John the Baptist Primary School, Colwick

Since participating in the original LifeSavers pilot, St John have gone from strength to strength!

As of December 2019, St John the Baptist have held 210 LifeSavers Savings Club sessions, the third highest of our 120 schools. In total, over 750 cash deposits have been made by the 85 Savings Club members who either attend or have previously attended the school. Whilst the number of savers is in itself is a fantastic achievement, what is perhaps more impressive is the regularity of saving at the school. Such regularity, saving little and often, shows that all at St John have truly embodied the values of LifeSavers and are developing a critical life skill at a key time in the development of their relationship to money.

“We launched LifeSavers in St John's with an exciting 'Money Week' that the whole school participated in. As well as a visit from a 'maths magician', there was a special assembly, where we were joined by the Manager of Nottingham Credit Union, and a school competition to design our savings club logo.

Six children were picked to run the savings club with the help of three adult volunteers including our local vicar! The children's enthusiasm for the scheme has been infectious. One of first junior savers brought his form back to school saying that his mum also wanted to join the credit union, so we can already see the potential impact of LifeSavers on our whole school community.

Teaching staff have completed their training and are using the curriculum linked financial education resources in their classes. I can see how LifeSavers will have a big impact on the children at St John's." (Fi Belton, Senior Teacher at St. John's)