Pupils at Bexleyheath secondary school are going to be taught by the experts about how to manage money and finances.

The new lessons are being brought in at St Columbus Catholic School for Boys in Halcot Avenue after it was announced that the school would be part of a new partnership between the UK’s leading financial education charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) and Santander.

School teachers will work with pfeg’s educational specialists to create a detailed programme of financial education for their students and integrate the teaching of personal finance into the school curriculum.

Headteacher Nigel Fisher said:"At St Columbus'’s we take our responsibility to prepare our students for life extremely seriously – and that includes giving them the financial skills and knowledge they will need.

"We are delighted to be working to embed financial education into the school curriculum and are confident that this will make a big difference to their ability to manage their money well, both now and in the future."

The school, one of 40 across the country set to benefit from the programme, will also be supported in sharing its new expertise with other schools in the local area to benefit the wider educational community.

Tracey Bleakley, pfeg chief executive, said: "We are delighted that the school has joined our Centre of Excellence programme through our partnership with Santander.

"The work that staff will be doing with our educational specialists over the coming months will be of enormous benefit to students, with financial education set to be firmly embedded into the curriculum.

"Our aim is to ensure that all students enter adult life with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage money well."

Victoria Wells, Branch Director at Santander added: "We believe it is important for everyone to have good basic money management skills, but particularly young people who are encountering money earlier than ever.

"We recognise that teaching young people requires specialist delivery and we’re pleased to be funding the programme which offers a tailored programme designed by education experts."