PUPILS are helping younger children to learn about budgeting and borrowing by teaching money management classes in school.

More than 16,000 students are expected to receive the student-led tuition by 2016, in a scheme started by a former East Lancashire headteacher.

The idea is for secondary school pupils to give younger children a basic understanding of how to manage their cash to avoid them getting into financial trouble in the future.

Brian Souter, who retired as head at Southlands High School in Chorley last year said: “One of the reasons we are so keen on this project is because every child who leaves school has to handle money.

“Schools do not have the time to deliver it as it should, but it is all about getting the right message across early.

“There are also tasks the pupils can do at home with their parents and we often find that it teaches them as well.”

The course is supported by Darwen-based organisation DAF, who asked Mr Souter, who lives in Edenfield, to come up with financial management lessons to be taught in schools.

Among the secondary schools to have signed up to have their pupils trained to deliver the classes in primary schools are The Hollins Technology College in Accrington, Haslingden High School, Sir John Thursby Community College in Burnley, and Shuttleworth College in Padiham.

It is hoped that a number of specially-trained pupils will each be responsible for teaching the material to a primary school in a bid to target as many youngsters as possible.

Mr Souter said: “Everything is done by the students. They write the lessons, prepare the powerpoints and deliver the sessions. DAF came to me to create something like this because, every day, they have people coming to them for help and advice and they were getting concerned with the number of people with problems and debt.

“The only way to solve the problem is to educate young people.

“The volunteers who teach the material do not just do it for the sake of it, they really believe in it and it puts them in good stead for the future.”

Lessons include thinking about wants and needs, and debt management.

Budgeting and borrowing are to become a compulsory part of the secondary school curriculum in England from September 2014.

Money mentor Shannon Norris, 16, said: “You learn far more in life when you have to teach it. We find that children go home and ask their mum if they really need an item in their trolley and I bet a lot of children go back and relate the lessons to their families.

“It is reality so they can relate to it.”