Timeline of Make Sense of Pence:
A Journey in Financial Literacy
July–September 2023: The First Book is Born
The Make Sense of Pence project originated from conversations with my daughter, Livvy, about money, leading to the creation of our first book. Over the summer, we took the initial steps to document this vision, officially publishing Make Sense of Pence on Amazon in September 2023. Shortly after, additional titles, including Make a Bit More Sense of Pence and Hootini the Owl and the Money Quest, joined the collection, providing tailored resources for different age groups. We sought feedback from children, parents and teachers as the books and business model took shape. One of our primary points of contact was Danielle Morley the head teacher from Northway Infants School, she even got herself a Hootini the Owl hoodie!
October 2023: Launching the Website and Partnering with Twyning Primary School
Our journey continued with the development of teaching resources, and we launched our Make Sense of Pence online pages on the Your Guardian website. At Twyning Primary School, we introduced the project to Miss Gladstone and her deputy, Mr. Davies, who provided valuable feedback on the resources. This led to our first-ever classroom workshop in November 2023, marking the beginning of what would later become the Money-Wise Workshop!
November 2023: The First Money-Wise Workshop
In November, we delivered our first workshop at Twyning Primary School. This early session introduced over 40 students to financial concepts, and the feedback we received allowed us to refine the workshop structure, ultimately creating a programme that could be applied across various age groups and learning needs.
“The ‘Make Sense of Pence’ presentation was an informative and friendly introduction to children talking about money. I loved that the first part of the talk was individual to the group of children and Mr Dorkings was able to adapt the conversation to challenge misconceptions and steer the topics to what the children were keen on. Mr Dorkings interacted with the children in a fantastic manner and ensured that everyone had a go at sharing their ideas. He was nurturing towards the children who needed encouragement and celebrated everyone’s ideas. The talk also got the children up and moving, a super way of making the activities engaging and inclusive. I think the book and activities are a great way of getting the children (and their families) talking about money, which was very much a stigma when I was growing up, particularly if there were ‘money worries’. With the ever changing technology, scams and information, a book like this is an excellent way of empowering our children and encouraging them not to fear money, now and in their lives to come..”
February 2024: Expanding to Special Educational Needs Schools
Our next workshop was held at Alderman Knight School, a Special Educational Needs school in Tewkesbury. This session allowed us to tailor the workshop further to meet the diverse needs of Year 9 students with special educational requirements. The insights gained from Alderman Knight marked a pivotal moment in shaping the accessibility of our financial literacy resources. Here we met Archer, who profoundly entered the conversation around the things we need and want, his interaction was priceless and has shaped every Money Wise Workshop that has happened since. A young man who struggled to communicate left a lasting impression on us all.
March 2024: Reaching More Students at The John Moore School
By March, we expanded to The John Moore School, where we presented to two-year groups, reaching 60 Year 5 and Year 6 students. This experience helped us better understand the different levels of engagement and understanding in these age groups, further refining the workshop to be age-appropriate and engaging. We head back to John Moore in 2025.
“Paul’s ability to simplify financial concepts engaged the children and encouraged them to actively participate in discussions. His visit provided valuable insights, and we are grateful for the thought-provoking experience. Thank you, Paul, for your informative and engaging presentation. We highly recommend Make Sense of Pence for any school seeking to enhance financial literacy education.”
April 2024: Corporate Partnerships Begin with SchoolPro and ArrangeMy
To support our growing impact, we reached out to local companies for potential sponsorship. SchoolPro became our first sponsor, enabling us to deliver workshops in schools across Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, including Coleford, Cheltenham, Malvern and Tewkesbury. With SchoolPro’s support, we extended our geographical reach and introduced financial literacy to even more students.
The team at ArrangeMy, sponsored, Malvern Parish Primary School again broadening our reach into Worcestershire and setting up a great relationship with another excellent school, that has continued throughout 2024, supporting their Enterprise after school club!
“We really enjoyed it in Y5 and it fitted in perfectly with our economic wellbeing unit in PSHE – we would definitely invite him to come back again next year. Paul was very informative and really got the measure of the children. In the beginning of the workshop was pitched at just the right level and was progressive towards the end.”
May 2024: Newquay Activity Centre Sponsorship
Our next corporate partner was the Newquay Activity Centre, which sponsored additional workshops, allowing us to reach another 90 students. These partnerships marked a key milestone in our mission to make financial literacy more widely accessible, highlighting the vital role of community support. The Newquay Activity Centre team are a long-standing client of Your Guardian, and we are truly thankful for them.
June 2024: The Roche Hair Experience Partnership
Charlie Roach of The Roach Hair Experience joined as a fourth sponsor, purchasing books for his own children and supporting workshops at local schools. His involvement led us to work with Lilleshall Primary School in Shropshire, bringing our resources to a new community and further expanding our educational reach… check out the story here
July 2024: Attivo Financial Advisors Collaboration
Through a connection with Attivo, a large financial advisory firm, we were able to significantly increase our outreach. Attivo’s sponsorship enabled us to deliver workshops across Cheltenham and nearby areas, reaching over 250 students. This collaboration also led to a feature in Attivo Life magazine, which helped spread awareness of our mission to empower children with financial knowledge to a much wider market. Attivo have sponsored both books and workshop and are a key partner in the success of Make Sense of Pence. It’s not every day you are called and Attivo Champion and appear on the same page as Jonny Wilkinson.
August 2024: Hootini the Owl Comes to Life
September 2024: Workshops in Telford, Expanding Reach
With the support from Charlie Roche and The Roche Hair Experience, we expanded into Telford, engaging with the Newport Cluster Group of Schools. These workshops opened doors to future engagements and broadened our reach, setting the stage for continued growth.
October 2024: New Partnership with Babcock
In recent months, we’ve established a new partnership with Babcock International, focusing on schools in Bristol, Swindon, Wiltshire, and Hampshire. This partnership marks a substantial step in our journey, supporting Babcock’s social value initiatives while expanding our educational impact across the South West. With workshops scheduled well into 2025, this collaboration has set the stage for further growth and long-term impact.