At Long Bay College, Banqer High is transforming the Year 9 and Year 10 Commerce curriculum by making financial literacy engaging and practical. Students experience a comprehensive financial literacy program that covers budgeting, careers, property ownership, taxes, and the stock exchange. Teachers and students alike find it invaluable, and teachers see Banqer High's positive impact on students’ money management skills.
Building Financial Skills with Real-Life Application
Banqer is a game changer,
says teacher Kyle Naidoo, as the platform opens up opportunities for real-world learning that engage students in new ways. As many students start part-time jobs by age 16, the curriculum is perfectly timed to build foundational skills that will serve them well in their working lives.
This is the perfect opportunity for them to actually learn how to budget and what financial literacy is all about
Naidoo explains.
Through Banqer High’s interactive approach, even students who previously struggled to stay focused in class are engaging with financial concepts enthusiastically. “I found that discipline has actually improved with Banqer High,” Naidoo adds, noting that students “want to focus” and “want the reward” that comes from mastering the material.
Growing Confidence and Real-World Financial Skills
Teachers note that the learning experience with Banqer High is dynamic and deeply engaging. “It's made teaching for me...a lot more fun,” says teacher Christina Ganivatu, reflecting on the conversations she’s overheard among students. The platform encourages students to explore topics that are usually reserved for adults, like taxes and investment, in a way that resonates with them. “Banqer builds confidence with using money,” shares one student. “It's also helped me learn about the stock market. Banqer has really taught me how to pick the best companies to invest in. It's a fun experience, and it also teaches you things.”
Students describe Banqer as a platform that helps them envision their future, offering practical skills for managing money that extend beyond the classroom, with another student sharing:
I definitely feel more prepared to go into the real world now that I've got these skills from Banqer
An Easy-to-Use Financial Education Tool for Teachers
Long Bay College’s Head of Faculty for Business, Linda Everett, praises Banqer High’s intuitive design and ease of use for both students and teachers. “Banqer is easy to use,” she says. “It's as self-taught as it is for students, and it is for teachers as well. It's been easy to implement.” She highlights that even teachers with limited computer skills find Banqer user-friendly and effective in the classroom.
Everett also notes the positive feedback from parents who are pleased to see their children learning skills they themselves didn’t have access to in school.
Their children would come home and sit at the dinner table and talk about compound interest and loans. It's something they didn't learn in school, and they wish they had.
Banqer High has quickly become a cornerstone of Long Bay College’s financial literacy efforts. Everett sums it up best: “Kids love it and we love it. We love using it.” As students learn to navigate real-world financial situations with confidence, the school is building financially literate graduates who are ready to make informed choices and shape their futures with purpose.
