As part of their Leavers’ Programme, Year 6 enjoyed an educational Money Matters workshop, which taught them about earning, growing and, on occasion, losing money. Equipped with a bank statement, where they could fill in their earnings and outgoings, and an ersatz £500, they visited various “stations” throughout the morning, where they could play games that mimicked different financial realities.
One savvy child immediately suspected that one of the stations was a “scam”…and then proceeded to throw all his money at it! Others, with impressive determination and resilience, played game after game in the fitness arena, where star jumps equalled earnings: a game that most closely resembled the real world of work. We hope their serious work ethic endures! Meanwhile, others gambled away their earnings and for the first time ever, we had a group of bankrupt children by the end of the second round. Fortunately for them, the bank’s interest rate on loans was not too exorbitant.
We even uncovered a philanthropist amongst the children, who gave away all his money and refused repayment, epitomising one of the values that BPS prizes highly: that of kindness!
We won’t reveal the optimum way to make the most money, so as not to spoil it for future BPS Year 6s, who, we are certain, will enjoy this event in the coming years. A huge thank you to Mrs Cooper and her team of helpers, who made the morning memorable, invaluably instructive, and entertaining for all of us!
