School age programmes

RedSTART’s Change the Game programme is now delivered through Money Ready.

This programme provides continuous primary education with interactive, fun learning experiences for children from ages 4-11 years old, delivered through schools.

Our aim is to provide financial education to transform the life chances of young people across the country. We do this in partnership with major financial institutions, local businesses and over 600 volunteers in five key locations across the UK.

Getting a head start means starting early. Through seven years of primary school, we foster and track pupils’ development, running programmes and providing resources for teachers and parents. We teach children progressively, building on their previous years’ knowledge.

All our workshops and school-based activities are followed by a family challenge: fun, interactive learning opportunities to discuss and complete at home. These are complemented by an app which rewards students for completing mental maths challenges, allowing them to accrue interest on their rewards and spend the tokens earned in a real-world environment.

Core topics  

Our content covers the recommended objectives from the Young Enterprise Financial Education Framework, and were fully accredited in April 2022. 

Through play-based games, children learn about the real-world consequences of: 

• Earning 
• Spending and Saving 
• Risk and Reward 
• Financial Fraud 
• Budgeting 

Programme structure  

Reception & Years 1 & 2 / P1-3 

The ‘Save Your Acorns’ children’s book, by Robert Gardner, forms the basis of our activities for our youngest children. 

Our Money Minis® programme builds on the lessons learnt in Reception/P1 and consists of a workshop and classroom based activities. 

These are designed to support children in learning the key financial concepts of ‘Earn It, Save It and Grow It’. 

Years 3 & 4 / P5 & 6 

“Money Risers®” builds on the financial foundations that children have developed from Years 1 and 2/P2 and 3, and entails: 

Play-based games and practical activities that allow children to experience earning, saving and budgeting money for themselves 

Engaging discussions, in which we support the children to know how to prioritise financial needs and wants. 

Years 5 & 6 / P6 & 7 

“Money Counts®” is the final stage of our whole school financial education programme. In it, we develop the understanding the children have gained from the previous years, focusing on earning, saving and growing. Children will be looking in more depth at: 

• Influences on our saving and spending
• Value for money
• Borrowing
• Emotional links to money 

What we offer our schools 

• Resources for every year group from Reception to Year 6 (P1 to P7), including a game-based financial education app

• Clear handbooks, lesson plans, classroom presentations and videos so teachers can deliver our classroom-based activities easily without any pre-existing knowledge of financial education
• Support in delivering resources from volunteers, and the opportunity for on-site visits at partner organisations
• Measurable progress: an impact study running alongside the whole programme 

• For 7-11 year olds
• 3 x 60-minute workshops and 1 assembly.
• Suitable for groups of 12-30 pupils.

Workshop sessions:

My Choices: Making smart spending decisions, differentiating needs vs wants, understanding the cost of living, and learning how to budget.

My Money: Understanding where money comes from, forms of payment, and different bank accounts. Strengthening money awareness, delayed gratification, and strategies to resist spending temptations.

My Future: Exploring why people save, how interest works (as a reward for saving and a charge for borrowing), financial risks, and setting a financial goal.

Additional / Extras:

Fuel Finance: Only available in certain regions, our optional extra Fuel Finance module looks at the topics of energy efficiency, affordability, and safety. Read about St Deny’s Primary School in Hampshire who enjoyed a Fuel Finance Session earlier this year.

• For 11-16 year olds
• Can be flexible with session numbers based on level
• Suitable for groups of 12-30 pupils.

Workshop sessions can include: 

Understanding Money:

• The functions of money and financial decision-making
• The impact of advertising, peer pressure, and consumer choices
• Government spending and the cost of living
• Developing positive money habits and financial confidence

Budgeting, Banking & Daily Spending:

• Budgeting and unexpected costs
• Bank accounts, interest, reading bank statements, overdrafts, and digital finance
• Wages, payslips, tax, and National Insurance
• Spending wisely, needs vs wants

Saving, Borrowing & Financial Futures:

• Savings strategies and setting financial goals
• Pensions, investments, and financial risk
• Borrowing, loans, credit, debt
• Fraud awareness, scams, and protecting your money

• For 16-18 year olds
• Can be flexible with session numbers based on level
• Suitable for groups of 12-30 pupils.

Workshop sessions can include: 

• Income: Sources of income, employment and self-employment and employee rights.

• Deductions: Reading a payslip, taxes, National Insurance, student loans and pensions

• Spending: Household costs, comparing products, and ways to pay

• Budgeting: Planning a budget, adjusting for expenses, and saving

• Banking: Choosing the right accounts and understanding savings

• Borrowing: Credit scores, loans, debt management, and avoiding pitfalls

• Student loans