Suggested approach

  • Throughout Skint! there are opportunities to pause and discuss the situations the characters find themselves in. Discussion points
  • Support workers can lead these discussions and draw upon real life examples, as well as further background information, from the useful web links and activity sheets in these support notes.
  • For example, numerical/financial activities can be completed at appropriate points, so enabling skillssuch as adding, subtracting, ratios and percentages to be transferred into a variety of real life contexts.
  • Skint! can be read as a group, one to one or used in a variety of role play scenarios.
  • In addition readers can further increase their literacy skills through creative responses to the stories by developing alternative story-lines and endings.
  • The endings are intentionally ambiguous giving readers a choice of conclusions (therefore enabling learner-centred education).
  • The support notes provide a check sheet which shows which of the achievements, as detailed in the core literacy and numeracy curriculum can be covered by using Skint!.
  • Support workers are encouraged to use ‘reflecting questions’ with their groups to consolidate what has been learnt/ covered.
  • It is important that any activity is discussed and negotiated with young people at the beginning to find out what they are interested in.
  • It is acknowledged that support workers carrying out activities linked to Skint! are not financial advisers and where possible experts in this field should be invited to supplement the programme eg. Citizens Advice or local Credit Union. We would like to encourage this kind of partnership working, for the benefit of all.
  • Young people from different social and economic backgrounds have varied experiences of dealing with money. However, regardless of background all young people benefit from advice on coping with financial matters.  Sensitivity is required when dealing with issues linked to money and resources involving scenarios and role-play are often helpful.
  • When planning programmes of work it is important to recognise differing religious and cultural values and attitudes. (For example the UK banking system is not universally accepted.) Depending on local circumstances it may be helpful to take advice from local community leaders.