Request a speaker for your school

What we offer

Our free school talks are available to state secondary schools and colleges in the UK. They are delivered by Bank Ambassadors: volunteers who work at the Bank of England.

Bank Ambassadors can talk to students about our work, explain how their role supports the Bank’s mission and share their career story. Talks typically last one hour and can be delivered at your school or college, or online via Teams or Zoom.

What you need to know:

• the school talks programme is free
• state secondary schools, sixth form colleges and further education colleges in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can request a talk
• we give priority to schools that have not previously hosted a talk
• schools can request one talk per academic year

Selecting a talk

We offer four different talks that support a range of curriculum subjects:

What does the Bank of England do?

We are the UK’s central bank and have an important role in the economy and responsibility to the British public. This explains what we do and how we are different from high street banks. Suitable for students aged 11 to 18.

Economics in practice

Based on the A level economics or equivalent syllabus, this looks at the work economists do at the Bank, focusing on monetary and financial stability. Suitable for students aged 16 to 18.

Introduction to financial services

This gives an outline of the UK’s financial services sector, including careers and opportunities at the Bank. Suitable for students aged 11 to 18.

Payment technology at the Bank

Our systems process payments worth millions of pounds each day. This talk explores different payment methods, including cash and digital payments, and the technology that underpins them. Suitable for students aged 11 to 16.

Complete the form to request a Bank Ambassador visit

Preparing students for the Bank Ambassador talk 

We have developed suggested activities that teachers can use before and after a talk. These activities help prepare students, introduce the work and history of the Bank, and extend the impact of the talk. We also share information about early careers opportunities at the Bank of England with organising teachers.

How to organise a visit 

Choose the talk that is most suitable for your class or year group. They can be delivered to individual classes, combined groups or year group assemblies.

Complete the school visit request form and provide information about the group the Bank Ambassador will be speaking to, along with your preferred dates and times

Please submit requests at least two months before your preferred dates. We try to fulfil as many requests as possible, but Bank Ambassadors are volunteers and availability can vary. We will do our best to accommodate your preferred dates and times.

Before submitting a request, we recommend reviewing our Frequently Asked Questions. These cover eligibility, visit arrangements and other common enquiries.

Why we visit schools

Understanding the economy helps students make sense of the world around them. It can help them understand news stories about prices, jobs, wages and interest rates, feel more confident discussing money and financial decisions, and make more informed choices about future study and careers. We work with the Royal Economic Society on its Discover Economics campaign to encourage more students to consider economics as a subject and career.

Not all schools teach economics. In 2025, 7,608 students took GCSE economics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, compared with 137,924 who took business studies. But economic ideas and concepts appear across the curriculum, so our talks support a range of subjects, including PSHE and citizenship.

Economics is an important part of our work, but it is not the only one. Bank Ambassadors work across the Bank, from Technology and Legal to Communications and Research. Our school visits help bring to life the range of opportunities across the financial sector and within central banking.

Employer engagement 

Meaningful encounters with employers can have a lasting impact on young people’s aspirations, confidence and career readiness. A visit from a Bank Ambassador can support your school’s careers programme and help you meet the Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers guidance, specifically:

• linking the curriculum to careers (benchmark 4)
• student encounters with employers and employees (benchmark 5)

Research on employer encounters in schools shows that:

• 93% of teachers say guest speakers help broaden students’ job aspirations
• 87% of teachers say guest speakers tackle stereotypes about jobs and careers
  
  

Frequently Asked Questions

Other educational resources we offer

We are keen to improve understanding of the economy and what we do. The educational resources we offer include:

Post-16 resources

We have curated some of our resources to help students learn about macroeconomics and the role of the Bank of England. These resources link to the GCSE and A level economics syllabus.

Free lesson plans

Our classroom resource, EconoME, is intended for teachers of pupils aged 11-16 and is linked to the PSHE curriculum. The three lessons contain interactive activities, videos and case studies to help students understand how their decisions are affected by and influence the economy. 

Explainers

Our explainers offer bite-size guides to explain key economic concepts in a simple and jargon-free way.

Bank of England Museum 

Our free museum explains our history and what we do. You can book a free presentation for groups of between 15 and 50 students. Advance booking is essential.