Our Story

The idea for starry-route began with a conversation at a kitchen table in 2017. Two teachers—one from a primary school, one from a secondary—were comparing notes about their students. Both had noticed the same troubling pattern: young people reaching critical milestones without any real understanding of money.

Primary pupils thought money came from cashpoints. Sixth formers signed up for credit cards without understanding interest rates. Somewhere along the way, a fundamental life skill was being overlooked.

From Frustration to Action

What started as frustration became determination. Those two teachers—Helen Whitmore and David Chen—began developing workshops they could run after school. The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Parents wanted this. Young people needed it. Schools had neither the time nor the expertise to provide it.

By 2018, what had been an after-school club became a registered organisation. We secured our first office space in central Leeds. We hired our first full-time educator. The workshops that had served thirty children now reached three hundred.

What We Believe

Our work rests on several convictions. First, that financial capability is not a privilege but a right. Every young person deserves the knowledge to make informed decisions about money, regardless of their family's wealth or background.

Second, that the best time to learn these skills is before you desperately need them. Teaching a teenager about debt after they have already accumulated it is far harder than equipping them beforehand.

Third, that learning about money should be engaging rather than dry. The best financial education does not feel like a lecture—it feels like discovery. When a child realises they can save for something they want, or a teenager understands why compound interest matters, something clicks. That moment of genuine understanding is what we work toward.

How We Work

Everything we create is tested with real young people before it becomes part of our curriculum. If an activity does not engage, if a concept does not land, we rework it until it does. This iterative approach means our programmes evolve constantly, becoming more effective with each delivery.

We also believe strongly in partnership. Schools know their pupils. Parents know their children. Our role is to provide expertise and structure, not to replace those relationships. Every programme includes communication with families and, where relevant, with schools—so that learning in our sessions connects to life beyond them.

Looking Forward

Eight years in, our ambition has only grown. We want financial education to reach every young person in Leeds, not just those whose families seek it out. That means deeper partnerships with schools, more accessible pricing structures, and continued advocacy for financial literacy within the national curriculum.

The young people we taught in our earliest workshops are now at university or starting careers. Some have written to tell us how the skills they learned still serve them. Those messages remind us why this work matters—and motivate us to reach the next generation.