New Money Lessons Help Students Gain NCEA

Secondary students can gain credits toward NCEA by learning about money thanks to a new collection of learning materials developed by the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC).

The CFFC has launched the resources through its Sorted in Schools programme. The resources are aligned to unit standards and have gained NZQA accreditation, enabling students who complete them to gain NCEA credits. They cover money management, saving, debt, goal setting, insurance, investing, KiwiSaver and retirement, and are designed to be taught by teachers as part of day to day lessons in any subject.

Sorted in Schools is the only financial education programme fully aligned to the curriculum, NZQA accredited and available free to all schools.

The CFFC’s Director of Learning, Nick Thomson, says the financial impact of COVID-19 made the launch of senior secondary resources even more relevant.

“CFFC research revealed the financially vulnerability of many families due to the effects of COVID-19 - 34% of households were in difficulty and 40% were at risk of tipping into hardship,” says Thomson. “Sorted in Schools is helping the new generation to become financially resilient, so they’re better equipped to weather financial storms throughout their adult lives.”

The resources use real life scenarios such as going flatting or taking on a student loan to teach financial concepts. They are also available in te reo Māori for teaching in kura and te reo classes.

“Students will learn money skills that are valued by employers, and gain the financial confidence and capability to transition from school into the wider world of future education, training or employment,” says Thomson.

Since Sorted in Schools launched in 2019 73% of secondary schools have registered to teach the resources, potentially reaching more than 200,000 students. Resources for students in Years 9 and 10 were launched last year.

The NCEA resources have also been designed to offer Merit or Excellence grades which can be put toward Level 1 or Level 2 endorsements. They build on more than 300 resources already available through the Sorted in Schools website.

For more information see sortedinschools.org.nz

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