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Money Smart Lab Series

A practical financial education programme for secondary pupils (ages 11–18). Designed to build real-world understanding of money decisions, future costs, saving and investing basics, and value creation — in a way that is neutral, inclusive, and workload-aware.

Secondary (11–18)40-minute lessonsPilot-first optionNon-commercial
For Schools →Discuss a pilot →Impact & evidence →

What pupils learn

Core concepts revisited in age-appropriate depth, with practical examples and discussion.

Money confidence & decision-making

Spending, budgeting, choices

  • • Understanding money and common “money mindsets”
  • • Budgeting, trade-offs, and opportunity cost
  • • Needs vs wants and short-term vs long-term thinking

Future costs & independence

Jobs, payslips, inflation (intro)

  • • What a payslip shows (gross vs net) using example payslips
  • • Key living costs (housing, transport, food) and how they change over time
  • • Introduction to inflation and why it matters for real wages and savings

Saving & investing basics

Interest, compounding, risk

  • • Simple interest vs compounding
  • • Risk, diversification (age-appropriate), time horizon
  • • Why inflation changes “real” returns (intro)

Value creation & business basics

Ideas, customers, pricing

  • • Creating value: problem → solution
  • • Customers, costs, revenue and basic profit
  • • Ethical thinking and realistic decision-making

How it is delivered

Designed for 40-minute lessons with time for Q&A, discussion and reflection.

Lesson format (typical)

40 minutes

  1. Starter: hook question or scenario (5 mins)
  2. Mini-teach: key concept + example (10–12 mins)
  3. Activity: pairs/groups + worksheet (15–18 mins)
  4. Reflection: “what changed in my thinking?” (3–5 mins)
  5. Q&A and close (2–5 mins)

Pilot option

6-week sample sequence (example)

  • • Week 1: Money Lab — understanding money & mindsets
  • • Week 2: Money Lab — budgeting & decision-making
  • • Week 3: Life Lab — future costs + payslip basics + inflation intro
  • • Week 4: Invest Lab — saving, interest & investment basics
  • • Week 5: Biz Lab — starting a business / value creation
  • • Week 6: Planning & pitching (group Dragons’ Den-style pitch)

Optional finale: Dragons’ Den-style pitch

A structured group challenge that builds confidence, oracy and reasoning.

Group size

Max 3 pupils per group

Small groups encourage participation and shared responsibility.

What pupils pitch

A value-creating idea

Pupils pitch an idea that solves a problem for a defined customer, using a simple cost/revenue model.

Audience option

Teachers (and optionally parents)

Schools can choose a teacher panel, and optionally invite parents to build home support and buy-in.

Safeguarding & boundaries

Clear scope protects pupils and supports school confidence.

What we do

Educational, neutral, age-appropriate

  • • Teach concepts and thinking skills — not personal financial planning
  • • Use scenarios and example payslips (not pupils’ real information)
  • • Encourage respectful discussion with clear classroom norms

What we don’t do

Not advice, not commercial

  • • No financial advice
  • • No promotion of financial products or providers
  • • No requirement to disclose family income or personal circumstances

What schools receive

Designed to reduce teacher workload while keeping school control.

Materials

Classroom-ready

  • • Lesson plans and activity sheets
  • • Simple slide decks / visual prompts (where used)
  • • Reflection prompts to evidence learning

Implementation

Workload-aware

  • • No marking requirement
  • • No burdensome data collection
  • • Teacher remains present and in control of the room

Want to explore a pilot?

See the school partnership model, safeguarding boundaries, and how to review materials in advance.

For Schools →Contact →