Shadow Chancellor George Osborne MP was taught a lesson last week about the value of money by the children of Alderley Edge Primary School.
The Shadow Chancellor joined reception year children who have been learning financial capability through What Money Means, a five year programme launched in October 2007 by Personal Finance Education Group, with the support of HSBC, which is targeted at primary school age children.
Mr Osborne and the children were given a lesson about money through the tale of Three Little Pigs. This built on previous lessons where the class had learnt about money through other traditional tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk. The stories were used as a basis for teaching counting and basic maths as well as giving the children lessons on life skills such as buying, selling and pricing different items.
Christopher Perry, Headteacher at Alderley Edge Primary School (pictured left with George Osborne), said "The What Money Means programme has given us the guidance and support to teach financial capability in an imaginative way. The children have been incredibly enthusiatic and now have a really good grasp of the value of different items, as well as understanding concepts such as buying, selling, and giving change."
During the day Mr Osborne also held further discussion with members of the school council from Years 5 and 6 in which he asked about what they had learnt and answered their questions about his work as a politician.
Commenting on the visit, George Osborne MP said "It is great to see financial education being taught in such an imaginative and interesting way. It is now more important than ever that we bring up a generation of financially literate young people, who are able to deal with the financial challenges they will face as adults, whether it's choosing financial products or planning for a secure financial future. Starting early is the best way to do this."
