School children at Merton Rise Junior School and St John’s Church of England Primary School, Basingstoke, will soon be running their own building society branches.

Both schools have signed up to the increasingly popular Junior Newbury Building Society (JNBS), which already operates in six schools in West Berkshire. The scheme, which is being run by Newbury Building Society and Basingstoke Consortium, teaches children the value of saving.

The project allows children from the age of seven to save their pocket money and pay it in safely at their school once a week where they are greeted by year six pupils who have been trained as cashiers. The year six pupils will have a training day at the branch in Festival Place, Basingstoke, where they will learn how to treat their customers and how to run their branch, including opening and closing it.

Sarah Carter from Newbury Building Society said “JNBS teaches the children important skills in responsibility and teamwork and gives them confidence as they prepare for the challenges of secondary school.” 

Sue Riley, Director for Basingstoke Consortium added, “We are delighted to be working with Newbury Building Society on this exciting programme. Our role in the town is to link schools and colleges with businesses. Working with local employers like Newbury Building Society helps young people get a real sense of the world of work”.