Citizens' Advice Bureau backs finance lessons

The Citizens’ Advice Bureau has backed government plans to introduce "economic wellbeing and financial capability" classes for 11 to 16 year olds.

Children will learn about how to handle their finances in the new addition to the curriculum, after concerns were raised over the level of debt students and other young adults find themselves in.

A couple with two children could be an estimated £32,000 better off by their forties, assuming they have had a decent financial education at school and go on to make better decisions, according to figures from the Institute of Public Policy Research.

Speaking in support of the move, a Citizens Advice Bureau spokesperson said: "We know that a lot of debt problems are caused, at least in part, by a lack of understanding and a lack of confidence in dealing with money matters.

"I think that there is no shortage of good ways of making this a subject that young people want to know more about."