BANNERMAN High School is tackling debt issues with drama for a new resource to help pupils with money matters.

S3 students at the Baillieston school have worked with Scotland’s curriculum body, Learning and Teaching Scotland, and TAG (part of the Citizens Theatre) to produce the ‘Small Change’ resource for use in secondary schools across the country.

The innovative project aims to help young people develop skills to deal with personal finances and prevent them developing bad attitudes and behaviour later on in life.

Through drama, pupils have been exploring how financial issues can impact on relationships, quality of life and health and wellbeing. Dramatic scenes were devised and filmed, representing day-to-day experiences of families in Scotland.

The footage has been turned into a DVD for teachers across Scotland to use as a basis for generating discussion around the best way to deal with finances and prepare young people for life and work. The project has been supported by Glasgow City Council’s Development and Regeneration Department.

Recent research by Credit Action, a money education charity, found that 80% of 16–24-year-olds admit they don’t keep track of their finances while 70% of people between 18 and 40 have no financial provision to help them face a drop in income – stark figures in the current economic climate.

Learning and Teaching Scotland’s Scottish Centre for Financial Education aims to develop the financial awareness of children and young people in schools.

The new resource will be launched at TAG’s base in Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre with a live stage performance on 29 January. The event and further training for teachers are being supported by Clydesdale Bank as part of its support for financial education in Scotland.

Jim Lally, Director of LTS’s Scottish Centre for Financial Education, said: “The current economic climate shows just how important good financial education is. We need to develop our next generation’s skills and confidence to think about finance and manage money from an early age.

“Financial capability is an essential life skill for all and by educating children and young people we can help them make informed decisions later on in life. The importance of financial education is stressed within Curriculum for Excellence, the new curriculum guidelines for schools, and this resource will help teachers bring together different aspects of learning to develop pupils’ knowledge and expertise.”

Martin Travers, Head of Citizens Learning and TAG, said: “TAG is delighted to have collaborated with Learning and Teaching Scotland and Bannerman High School on this project. Drama provides an excellent medium through which students can explore some of life’s options, decisions and consequences.

“Small Change has always been considered an invaluable project. However, the current economic downturn has brought a new level of significance to our work. We hope that this excellent resource will benefit young people throughout Scotland.”

Irene Swankie, Clydesdale Bank’s Community Affairs Manager, said: “Clydesdale Bank is delighted to support the Small Change event. As part of our financial education programme in Scotland we are committed to playing an active role in supporting helping young people improve their financial awareness."