A CITY primary school has been selected to become a flagship centre for financial education.

Brighton’s Coombe Road Primary School will become a Centre of Excellence as part of a partnership between global information services company Experian and the Personal Finance Education Group (pfeg).

The move means pupils at the school will have access to a life-changing financial literacy programme enabling them to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to be able to make the right financial decisions and manage their money well.

The school is one of 21 across the country taking part in the programme. Experian is funding the development of Coombe Road Primary School to achieve pfeg Centre of Excellence status in the next year, turning it into a beacon of best practice in teaching children and young people about money. Pfeg’s educational specialists will work with the school to help create a tailored financial education programme for pupils and train teachers to deliver innovative personal finance lessons and activities.

Dennis O’Sullivan, headteacher at Coombe Road Primary School, said: “We know just how important it is that our pupils leave Coombe Road with a firm grasp of the basics of money management.

“These are essential life skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and by becoming a Centre of Excellence we will ensure our pupils receive the very best start to their financial education possible.”

Tracey Bleakley, pfeg chief executive, said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with Coombe Road Primary School and Experian to develop the school into a Centre of Excellence.

“This is the next exciting stage in our expansion of the pfeg Centres of Excellence programme, and will benefit thousands of young people in the local area.

“This programme is a key part of our plans to ensure that every young person leaves school with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage their personal finances.”

Chris Clark, managing director of Experian UK and Ireland, said: “This important new partnership with pfeg will make a real difference to children and schools in those areas in the UK where support is needed the most.

“Giving people access to the information they need to make better financial decisions sits right at the heart of Experian and we have been developing free financial education resources for a number of years.

“The combination of pfeg’s expertise with Experian’s high-quality teaching resources and our classroom volunteers will mean that young people have the opportunity to gain the vital knowledge and skills they need to make the right decisions about money.”