Blog
Liv Erodotou, Museum Learning and Outreach Officer
15 to 23 November marks Maths Week England – a nationwide initiative designed to inspire young people to discover the joy and relevance of mathematics. This year’s theme, ‘Connection and Coincidence’, invites us to explore how maths shapes our world and everyday life.
A space to connect mathematics to the real world
In the Museum, we aim to show young people how mathematics is linked to everyday life; from budgeting pocket money to understanding how inflation affects the cost of living, it’s a space where the complexities of maths are made clear and relevant. Did you know that 32% of UK adults said they want to improve their number skills to manage their money better, according to the charity National Numeracy?
The aim? To help build financial literacy and confidence for our visitors and answer the key questions people have about the Bank’s role in the economy.
Demystifying money and talking about finance
The Museum shares this mission with the Bank. In October, the Bank published a new education resource, The Money Anthology, a collection of eight short stories that explore our relationship with money. The stories were written for 14 to 16 year olds and designed to support the English curriculum or for use during form time. To coincide with the launch, I attended a webinar led by Jenny Webb, an English teacher, author and blogger, which explored ways to use the anthology to support oracy in schools. Jenny’s session, and the anthology, highlight how important it is for young people to talk openly about money.
In the Museum, we have a comment card wall where visitors can write any questions or thoughts down and directly address these concerns. A common theme we find is visitors writing ‘I wish I had learned’ followed by a topic about money, such as debit cards, interest rates, and inflation.
So how does the Museum tackle this gap in understanding?
As well as the opportunity to visit the space, did you know we also run an education programme? We offer educational presentations to UK state schools which help make money, financial topics and economics accessible and relevant.
Our presentations are carefully tailored to suit different age groups, ensuring every session is engaging and relevant. For primary schools, we use interactive storytelling and hands-on activities - such as exploring real banknotes and their security features - to introduce the basics of money and the Bank of England in ways children can easily relate to their own experiences. We explain concepts using examples drawn from everyday life, making learning both fun and accessible.
For older students, including those at A-level, our sessions go deeper into economic subjects like monetary policy and inflation, always grounding discussions in practical scenarios and examples students are likely to know, from daily spending to digital currencies. Each workshop is designed to match both the complexity of the curriculum and the lived experiences of the students, ensuring that learning about money and economics feels relevant and meaningful at every stage.
