PUPILS are being encouraged to save money as Junior Newbury Building Society (JNBS) branches open up in schools across the district.

The programme, which was devised by the Education Business Partnership West Berkshire (EBPWB) and Newbury Building Society, has been running for eight years and is now in 17 primary schools across West Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Children in Year 6 are given the opportunity to work as a cashier at their school’s branch too.

Ella Bright, Business Support Manager at Newbury Building Society, said: “The JNBS scheme aims to increase local children’s financial awareness, encouraging children to save and to give pupils a sense of responsibility by becoming cashiers; promoting confidence and teamwork as well as gaining experience of applying for a job and attending an interview.”

Pupils must complete an application form, attend an interview and then take part in training at a Newbury Building Society branch before they are given the job of cashier.

Any applicants that may not have the chance to be a cashier are given the option of working on marketing in a bid to try to engage as many pupils as possible to start saving.