Producing financial capability teaching resources
How your organisation can provide resources for teachers, backed by the pfeg Quality Mark accreditation scheme
Drummond Johnstone, Southgate Publishers"We have found that the pfeg Quality Mark has given us the confidence of knowing that our resource has been through a rigorous examination from highly relevant people"
Teachers welcome high quality teaching resources to help their pupils become financially capable. pfeg supports the development and choice of suitable and effective material for teaching financial capability to young people, from reception class through to school leavers.
pfeg has developed its Quality Mark accreditation system to ensure that resources are suitable, effective and up to date for helping to teach personal finance education.
The main areas that young people need to learn about are personal aspects of finance such as running a bank account, how credit cards work and choosing between competing offers for products or services. Also needed is civic and business finance knowledge, such as how taxation works, why it exists and when it is payable, and how taxes are spent by the government.
It is useful to consider the technologies used in schools. For example, many teachers prefer CD ROM or web resources, although paper-based resources are still popular. Attractive resources aimed at young people will stimulate learning.
Quality Mark resources are also required to differentiate the material so that it is accessible to pupils with a range of abilities and learning needs.
Benefits for resource providers
Being awarded the pfeg Quality Mark shows that we recommend your resource to teachers. We will link materials to financial capability guidance for the National Curriculum and make sure that your resource:
- has a prominent entry in the resources section of this website
- is given publicity in our newsletters
- benefits from helpful feedback from our independent assessors
- is promoted to schools that take part in pfeg projects.
The Quality Mark process
The provider will need to give estimates of timescale and content for a resource. pfeg will advise about its suitability so that providers do not commit themselves to paying for an assessment process where a resource is unlikely to meet the standards required.
If the submission proceeds, the provider will need to agree to the Quality Mark Code of Practice and submit payment for the assessment process. The cost is reviewed every two years and is currently £1000 plus VAT per resource for commercial organisations and £500 for charitable organisations.
The resource will then be sent to one financial and two educational assessors, who will review it within two to four weeks. If changes are needed they will be suggested and subject to these the resource will be awarded the Quality Mark. An independent appeal process is available if the provider rejects any suggested changes.
To find out more about the Quality Mark or discuss the suitability of your resource, please contact Kat Hodgkinson on kathryn.hodgkinson@pfeg.org or 020 7330 9488.
