Financial Education
Intent Statement
Provision for all students
The Financial Education course is offered to Year 10 and 11 students. It introduces students to the finance and the economy and encourages them to consider how finance affects businesses and individuals. The course develops knowledge and a valuable range of transferable skills. It provides a foundation for further study in business and finance-related disciplines. It will develop learners with life skills, not only in finance related topics, but also in decision making about life choices.
Students are able to access the programme of study at all levels, however the Level 2 course spans over 2 years meaning that it is important that students are able to learn all elements of the course in order to achieve. The curriculum is differentiated and challenging and is more suited to students of a higher level. However, we also offer a Level 1 course which can be accessed by our more complex students
Planning and sequencing towards cumulative knowledge and skills
The curriculum is delivered over a two year period with three examination units. Knowledge and skills are built up over time to ensure all students are ready and prepared for the exams. In year 1 students learn the basic elements of finance and how and why money is so important. Once students have the basic foundation, year 2 builds on their knowledge from a practical point of view.
The curriculum will enable students to:
- develop an understanding of the key content areas and how they relate to each other;
- identify, understand and use information from a range of sources;
- use appropriate tools to manage a personal budget and apply these concepts to business
- enterprise;
- apply the concept of financial planning and make informed financial decisions to enhance
financial literacy;
- demonstrate numeracy skills, including the ability to manipulate financial and other
numerical data (such as calculating the costs of borrowing and spending) to reflect the
conceptual activity of financial maths;
- communicate ideas and arguments clearly, both verbally though classroom discussion and in writing.
Acquisition and independent application of knowledge, skills and abilities
The curriculum works on a spiral model and students build upon the knowledge that they have already learned throughout the course. Students are assessed regularly to ensure knowledge and understanding. Students also re visit key terminology regularly as they appear across all aspects of the course in different contexts.
Year 10 allows students build a foundation of knowledge and revisiting regularly to help students to consolidate what they have been taught and Year 11 focuses more on application and evaluation. Students are assessed through multiple choice questions and evaluating case studies.
Accreditation pathways and preparation for Education, Employment, Training and adult life
This qualification develops initial knowledge, skills and understanding of financial management and enterprise, which are valued in most organisations, particularly the financial services sector, and are especially valuable in terms of self-employment.
This course also provides a valuable grounding for students to go onto study Business, Finance or Economics or any other finance related subject, and is equally important in developing the key life skill of managing money.
