St Mary's Students Help Shape the Future of Financial Education

When we were invited to try out a new way for students to engage with the subject of finance, of course we said yes! Our commitment to equipping students with the skills and confidence to navigate the world of opportunities ahead includes developing a sound understanding of financial matters.

Emily Boxall is the cofounder of 2mins, an app that promises to make finance fun, in response to a growing need for financial understanding in the classroom. The app is designed around short, entertaining games that encourage its users to keep coming back to find out more and, above all, develop the invaluable skills they will need as future as entrepreneurs, university students, business owners and more.

Emily explained her father has a careers-worth of experience in the financial sector, and with her creative approach, together they developed a technique to take away the complexity and formality and replace them with quirky characters in bite-sized games, to make abstract concepts more tangible.

She also shared what it is like to be a start-up founder, describing it as the most hard-working period of her career so far, but also the most rewarding. Having to prioritise many different roles, from head of sales to marketing and product development at the same time requires prioritisation and careful planning.

The 2mins app is currently running its Founding Schools Programme, with students in Year 10 to 13 from schools across the UK. Our student’s participation will not only improve their own financial knowledge, but help to shape the future of the app.

St Mary’s students have already covered three topics since they began the programme – the three features of payslips, the three scam tactics to watch out for and five investing terms, and in their first week had gone to the top of the leader board!

Over the half term, they have been trying the Council Tax games, and this week will be focussing on Household Bills, with some interesting questions like this one to consider:

'Why do you think people often underestimate the cost of living?'

Welcoming guest speakers with inspirational stories to tell is all part of our 'Inspire My Future' programme for our students in Year 10 to 13. From alumnae and professionals in their fields to parents (and sometimes all three in one), we regularly benefit from hearing about the career journeys and achievements of aspirational role models, encouraging current students to feel confident about their own futures.

Did you know? Girls’ schools engage students in activities that prepare them for life beyond the classroom. They also enable girls to succeed in every profession: girls’ school alumnae are more likely to work in finance: 16% compared with 3% nationally. (Girls' School Association.)

November 2026