Experian

What’s the Score?

Making credit scores exciting for teenagers!

Experian has launched a FREE interactive credit scoring activity for 11-19 year olds.

It’s vital that young people understand how to use credit responsibly, and get the most from their credit scores. For the first time – Experian has been able to deliver credit score education to secondary school aged children and young adults. What’s the Score? gives you the opportunity to help secondary school students learn more about how credit scores are calculated, and how this can affect what you can borrow, and at what rate.

By helping young people learn about credit scores they’re more likely to accomplish long-term financial goals, for example getting a car, mobile phone contract or a mortgage. We can also help them avoid the long-term problems associated with financial difficulty, such as debt and mental health problems.

Delivering What’s the Score in a community organisation

We recently teamed up with the CC Foundation in London to deliver What’s the Score? to young adults in London from low-income socio-economic areas. The charity, launched by music artist Fekky, aims to empower disadvantaged people with opportunities.

The activity was delivered by Experian’s Michael Magabo, CC Foundation Ambassador of Business and Finance in a Secondary school within the London Borough of Lewisham.

The CC Foundation told us: “What’s the Score? was highly impactful, informative and ground-breaking to the young people. This made the session have a long-lasting effect on the young people, which has resulted in a financial literacy club being created & led by the young people who attended the course who are now teaching the rest of their peers within the school by the support of the CC Foundation.

What’s the score? was highly effective in making the specifics clear to allow removing / managing such barriers to facilitate independently a healthy financial profile”.

Michael Magabo, former Client Director at Experian, describes his first experience delivering What’s the Score?

“Coming from a low income, single parent family in Lewisham it felt incredibly important not only to give back from a privileged career position but also support the financial education of young adults as they begin their entry into the practical world of all things money. 

Using Experian’s ‘What’s the Score?’ resource allowed me to revisit my roots in the local community and deliver real life class based learning to inform and shape responsible behaviours towards money and credit. This resource is a ‘game-changer’.”

Take a look at ‘What’s the Score?’

The lesson covers four areas:

  • What’s on a credit report?
  • How is a credit score calculated?
  • How are lending decisions made?
  • What does APR really mean?

The first half of the lesson opens the group up to a discussion about credit reports and scores, and how lenders decide.

  • All the material for questions and topics (and answers) is provided in the ‘Educator Pack’.

The second half is an interactive group activity (4 or 5 per group) – where the students will be given four character’s credit applications, and then:

  • Calculate individual credit scores for each character
  • Work out the score banding for each character
  • Match each applicant to the cheapest loan they qualify for
  • Work out how much (in interest) each applicant will pay over the term of their loan

The lesson and activity are a fun way to bring credit scores to life. It can also make a real difference to how young adults understand credit scores and borrowing.

The lesson plans:

Educator Pack (Lesson plan, discussion questions, exercise answers)

Student pack (exercise pack)