On the money: drama classes pay dividend for primary school pupils

Taking account: Pupils act out a school trip to Barbados. Photograph: Tyssen Community Primary School

What can be done to tackle the problem of illegal loan sharks? An arts charity believes greater financial literacy is the answer.

With today’s children set to shape the tomorrow’s economy, charity Create wants more young people to understand how finance affects people’s lives.

Last month it ran drama workshops for two Year 6 classes at Tyssen Community Primary School in which pupils wrote and starred in their own productions while learning about some of economic pitfalls facing low-income families.

The two week project, called A Wealth of Stages, was mentored by playwright James Baldwin and theatre director Ellen Havard, and culminated in a performance on 17 June in which the pupils played out various scenarios involving loan sharks.

In one story a child wants to go on a school trip to Barbados but can’t afford it. He takes money from a loan shark who ends up giving him counterfeit money. In another story, Sam buys a lottery ticket after his parents are hit with massive loan repayments that prompt bailiffs to visit.

One of the young stars, Ishmael, 10, said: “My favourite bit was when we jumped around to the Mission Impossible tune, chasing the loan sharks.”

“When I go to the high street, I see loan shops and I didn’t know what they were but now I do.”