Wingate Sixth Form offered an 8-week Personal Finance course for all Year 12 and 13 pupils. The course was introduced to prepare pupils for real-world financial decision-making and to give them the skills and confidence to manage their money effectively.
The programme was fully funded by the school and delivered in partnership with Money Mojo, a consultancy specialising in practical financial education.
Parent Orientation
To support learning at school and at home, the course included a parent orientation webinar. The webinar provided an overview of the curriculum, explained how sessions are delivered, and answered any questions.
The Importance of Financial Education
As pupils transition into adulthood, they begin to make independent financial decisions, from managing rent and bills to understanding student finance, credit, and digital payments.
The course was designed to help pupils:
- Understand how money works in real life
- Build confidence before making real financial decisions
- Practise financial skills in a safe, consequence-free environment
Why the Course Was Introduced
Recent data highlights the need for stronger financial education in Spain:
PISA 2022 – Financial Literacy (Spain):
- 17% of pupils did not reach the basic performance level
- Spain scored 486, below the OECD average of 498
- Only 5% of Spanish 15-year-olds reached high performance (compared with 11% across the OECD)
Meanwhile, the UK has announced that financial education will become compulsory in schools from 2028, and the Canary Islands has also emphasised the importance of strengthening financial education in schools.
This positions Wingate Sixth Form at the forefront of practical life-skills education in Tenerife.
Course Content
Over eight sessions, pupils cover key areas of personal finance, including:
- Budgeting, saving and understanding inflation
- Credit and debt
- Digital money and payments
- The basics of investing
The course concluded with pupils creating a personal money plan. Sessions included exercises, real-life scenarios, and practical tools that pupils could use immediately.
About the Educator
The programme was delivered by Sanam Balani, a Wingate alumna and founder of Money Mojo. Sanam spent eight years at Goldman Sachs in London and Singapore before returning to develop her consultancy focused on practical financial wellbeing.
Sanam experienced firsthand the challenges of entering adulthood with little financial education. Her mission is to give pupils the chance to make “practice mistakes” safely — rather than costly mistakes in the real world.
Curriculum Standards and Alignment
The curriculum was aligned with internationally recognised financial literacy frameworks, including:
- OECD guidance
- EU Financial Competence Framework for Children and Youth
It also reflected the current direction of financial education in Spain and the UK.
