Care leaver suitable: University finances

This activity pack encourages young people to think about the financial aspects of going to university. It considers the different types of financial support available and the impact of future repayments. Participants will also get to explore a young person’s story, to get them thinking practically about how to transition smoothly into university and manage their work/life balance. This session will also encourage participants to look at ways in which university financial assistance can support their progression within higher education.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify the different types of bursaries and allowances they can access
• Understand the financial assistance that they may be eligible for if they are care leavers and/or on low income, to help them with their accommodation costs
• Demonstrate their knowledge on what student loan repayments are and how these work
• Talk in greater detail about the different ways to finance themselves through university, including having a job and maintaining a good work/life balance
• Identify a number of websites and resources they can use to get further help with university finance

To access worksheets for all twelve activity packs in one place, use our ‘Setting yourself up for financial independence’ workbook.

Other LifeSkills lessons are also suitable for use with care leavers to support them on their employability journey, here are some to get started with:

• Staying positive (resilience)
• Adaptability

As a signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant, LifeSkills created with Barclays have worked directly with young people who have experienced care as well as the adults supporting them to create twelve activities adapted from existing financial education content. Activities include case studies, quizzes, discussions and practical tasks to build skills, knowledge and confidence, and can be delivered one-to-one or in a small group. Each pack includes guidance for support workers, worksheets for young people and useful signposting. Young people can register on LifeSkills to access further interactive resources on managing their money and building skills for the world of work here barclayslifeskills.com/young-people